Baby Steps
by lifeofapll
Summary: Emison fanfic based ten years after 6x10 which follows the lives of Emily and Alison. Not being able to agree on children escalates a rough patch in their perfect relationship. What happens when old faces and new arguments get between them. Will they be able to survive the rocky rollercoaster that is life? Featuring Spoby, Haleb, Ezria and maybe a few more;) #emison #endgame
1. Silence Worth Breaking

**Emison fanfiction set a little over 10 years into the future after episode 6x10.**

 **Alison and Emily have been together a little under 10 years after neither one of them could deny their feelings for eachother any longer. After a drunken night out with Hanna, a crazy suggestion by Ali becomes a reality and Hanna and Caleb moved back to rosewood so her and Ali could open a store together. Spoby are still madly in love all these years later and are living their hapily ever after with their three year old son and **Ezria found there way back to each one night in Boston after years apart.****

 ** **Hope you enjoy! #emisonendgame****

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Silence Worth Breaking.**

"Alison are you nearly ready?" Emily shouted up to the blonde as she fixed her hair in the hall mirror. "Come on, we're going to be late!"

"I'm coming!" Ali called out to the brunette as she made her way down the stairs, putting in the new earrings that her wife had got her for their three year wedding anniversary a few weeks before.

Emily lips curved into a small smile as she watched her wife trail towards her. Her blonde curls falling onto her shoulder and her tight jeans hugging her legs in all the right places. "Wow" she breathed out, interlocking her fingers with Alison's. "You look...amazing"

Alison rolled her eyes. "Oh, so your talking to me now"

"I've been talking to you all day Ali. It's you thats ignoring me" Emily stated as a matter of fact.

"Look" Alison raised her hands. "Can we just forget last night ever happened, atleast pretend that we're okay infront of the others"

Emily furrowed her brows in confusion. "We are okay...Ali, it was one fight"

"Third one this week Emily" Ali huffed as she took Emilys spot infront of the mirror.

"I'm sorry okay" Emily sighed into the blondes neck, standing behind her and running her hand along her curves. "I won't bring it up again...I promise"

Alison looked into the mirror and watched her wife give her the puppy dog eyes. No matter how angry she was right now she could never stay mad at her wife when she looked at her like that. It was a typical Emily move lately when she wanted to smoothen the waters between them and it almost always worked.

"Okay" Alison let out an exasperated sigh and gave Emily a hint of a smile before turning around and leaning into the kiss the brunette was placing on her lips. Alison's hand tangled in the brunettes wavy curls while Emily's gripped onto Alisons waist and pulled her closer. The blonde pushed the brunette against the wall and savoured every moment of the kiss that was heating up a lot quicker than either of them expected. In that moment, neither one of them wanted to let go of eachother, solely because neither one of them knew when another oppurtunity for a moment like this would come along. A moment where they were both willing to put all their problems aside and fall into eachothers loving hold.

Before things could go any further, Emily hesitantly pulled away with a deep sigh. "You know I'd love more than anything to stay exactly like this right now but if we don't leave soon we're going to be very late"

Chocolate brown orbs met icy blue and Alison gave an understanding smile as she pushed a brunette lock behind Emilys ear. She couldn't remember the last time her and her wife had a moment like this. A moment where they got so lost in eachother gaze that all their problems just seemed to disappear. Even if she was forcing it, it felt good. "Just let me get my bag"

After loading up the last of the gifts in the car, Emily and Alison made their way to the Cavanaugh household where their nephews third birthday party was being held. When they pulled up behind Ezra's car, they looked on into the graden to see their blonde best friend Hanna spitting fire into the phone to whoever was on the other end of the call.

"I don't care less if it's not your problem, it's not mine either" she scolded, waving her hands animatedly in the air. "I swear, that order better be in my shop by tomorrow morning or I'll show you where to put that...hello...Jared you there?" Hanna pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at the screen. "Fucker hung up on me" she scoffed in realisation as she threw her phone into her back pocket, running her fingers through her hair before resting both hands on her hips. Her eyes brightened when she spotted Emily and Alison stepping out of the car and quickly made her way over to them.

"Hello m'ladies" she chirped.

"What was all that about" Ali questioned with furrowed brows as she slammed the passenger door closed.

"Hmm" Hanna sighed with a tight lipped smile. "Just the usual store drama. This idiot messed up our order for the spring collection and the shipment won't be delivered for at least a week!"

The two blondes discussed business as they trailed in through the front door of the cavanaugh household, Ali clearly 'forgetting' that there was a boot full of gifts that could use her assistance being brought into the house.

"Alison" Emily called out but her wife was already gone inside the door. She knew she could go inside and make a fuss about Ali not helping her with the gifts but figured she should just leave it because this was not something worth arguing about right now.

She grabbed all the gifts herself and after a lot of muttering to herself as she struggled to close the boot, she sauntered in through the gate.

Tobys eyes caught sight of the brunette from the living room window and quickly, without hesitation he rested his beer bottle in the hall table and made his way out to help her.

"Jeez Santa Clause" he called out with a smile as he trailed down the garden path to Emily.

The brunette left out a breathless chuckle and stood up straight, dropping one of the heavy, toy filled bags on the ground.

"Em" Toby sniggered when he looked at the bags to Emilys side. "You shouldn't have...no wonder Noah loves you so much" he added with a grateful smile as he tossed one of the bags over his shoulder and clutched the other with his fist. Emily was about to respond but was interrupted by excited squeals from her nephew as he ran towards her with his hands held out.

"Hello little man, how's my favourite today" Emily sang as she knelt down, picked him up and smothered him in kisses. The little brunette giggled and squirmed in her arms and when she let him down in the grass he grabbed her hand and excitedly guided her in through the front door to show off his super-hero themed party.

When Emily entered the kitchen she looked around her. Spiderman ballons and superhero banners were scattered through the house and the dining room table was filled with sweets and drink. She scanned her eyes around for her wife and immediately spotted her standing at the counter with Hanna, the two of them talking animatedly between eachother as they filled their glasses with wine.

When Alison put her lips to her glass she felt eyes on her from the other side of the room and sure enough, when she looked up, there Emily was, eyeing her from the corner of the room with an expression on her face that was a little hard to read.

"Here" Alison called out as she made her way towards Emily, holding out a glass of wine.

"As much as I'd love that right now...We have the car." Emily sighed.

"We can take a cab Emily...It's no big deal" the blonde said.

Emily took the glass from her wife and forced a smile but before she could say anything their moment was interrupted by a loud squeal and Noah ran straight towards them, giggling and mumbling to himself as he hid behind Emily's legs.

"Noah. Stop running" They heard spencer call out from the living room to the toddler who was now hiding on his mom.

Spencer made her way through the kitchen door and scanned her eyes around for her son. "Has anybody seen the birthday boy?" she announced to the group of people gathered in the kitchen.

A loud squeal was heard from behind Emily legs and Alison laughed down at the little boy flanking his aunt with both hands covering his mouth to quiten his giggles.

"Too bad" Spencer sighed with folded arms. "I guess the birthday cake can wait until later"

Without hesitation, Noah popped his head out from behind his aunt and shouted to his mom. "Here mommy"

"Come here you little rascal" she chuckled as she walked towards him and scooped him up, wiping his chocolate covered face and smothering him in kisses. "Daddy wants you in the living room"

"Kay" the blue eyed three year old smiled as he squirmed in his Moms arms and waited for her to leave him down.

Emily smiled at the interraction between Noah and Spencer and Ali could see the love in her wifes eyes for their nephew. She sighed and took a mouthful of wine as she made her way back over to Hanna who was rummaging through the MM's on the table, picking out all the red ones and tossing them in her mouth.

A few hours into the party things began to quiten down. The cake had been cut and the food had been eaten and Spencer and Toby were standing at the front door, waving off the last of Noah's daycare friends and their parents. Alison and Hanna were in the dining room, both of them nearing their fifth class of wine and laughing hysterically at whatever they were talking about now while Aria and Emily sat on the patio table talking among themselves and watching Noah and Caleb running around in the grass.

"Daddy" Noah squealed when he saw Toby walk out towards them. "Can u play"

Spencer followed Toby outside a few minutes later and reclaimed her seat on the patio table next to Aria. Now that all the judgy parents from daycare were gone and it was just the girls, Toby, Ezra and Caleb she could finally relax and pour herself a much deserved glass of wine, maybe even something stronger to cure the pounding headache that had settled in through all the sqeuealing and screaming from the handful of todlers that had shown up to the party. It wasn't long before Hanna and Ali realised they were the only ones still inside and made their way out the back to join the rest, both of them looking slightly tipsy from the alcahol they had consumed over the past few hours.

Minutes later Ezra strolled out through the sliding glass doors, his hands filled with a few cans and a large bottle of red. He tossed Toby and Caleb a beer each and placed his own on the table infront of him while he filled the girls glasses with the new bottle of wine he had retrieved from the kitchen.

He emptied the can of diet soda into the glass of ice infront of his wife and smiled when he noticed her eyeing the wine infront of her. "Only a few more weeks babe, dont worry"

Aria sighed and rubbed small circles on her stomach. "It's worth the wait"

Ezra leaned down and placed a kiss on Arias lips, then took his can from the table and made his way over towards Toby, Caleb and Noah.

"Sooo" Emily grinned. "Two more months until we get to meet baby Fitz"

"Its been a tough pregnancy" Aria sighed. "I can't wait for it to be over"

"Oh, I know the feeling" Spencer added, her gaze held on her three year old son in the garden. "But its all worth it in the end"

All five of them watched Noah laughing hysterically as he ran away from Caleb and Toby with the new spiderman ball he had gotten from Emily and Alison.

Hanna shook her head. "God, can you believe he's three already. Feels like yesterday we were all piling into the hospital room to see him"

"I know" Spencer sighed. "My baby isin't a baby anymore"

"I can't wait until all our kids grow up together" Aria smiled, watching as Ezra scooped Noah up and ran after Toby.

Alison, who hadnt inputted a single word in this conversation continued to sip her glass of wine and stare absentmindedly into the garden infront of her, trying to ignore Emilys glassy eyes as she listened to her friends talk about how much fun it will be to raise their kids together.

"How about you guys" Aria asked, directing her question to the blonde and the brunette who were doing everything in their power to avoid making eyecontact with eachother. "Have you guys talked about having kids yet"

Ali threw back the last of the wine in her glass, hoping this converstaion about babies can swerve in a different direction because now was not the time to be fighting with her wife. Again.

Emily cleared her throat and thought for a few moments before she answered. She took a sip of wine from her glass and felt her throat tighten as she swallowed it because what she was about to say was definitally going to stir up trouble between her and Alison, especially since just a few hours before she promised Ali she wouldn't bring it up again.

She curved her lips into a small smile. "Hopefully soon"

Ali filled more wine into her glass and sighed, allowing the conversation between everyone else to fade off into the distance.

"Can...Can I hab a jink Ali" Noah panted as he tapped his aunts shoulder, breaking her from her thoughts

"Course you can big boy...You want apple juice or orange" Alison smiled, holding the three year olds hand and guiding him in through the back door.

Spencer watched Emily as her eyes followed Ali inside and she looked at her brunette friend with furrowed brows when she dropped her head and sighed once her wife was out of sight.

"Whats going on with you and Ali? You've barely said a word to eachother all day" Spencer whispered to Emily as Hanna and Aria talked between eachother.

Emily ran her fingers through her hair and swirled the contents of her wine glass.

"Em" Spencer called out.

"Its nothing" Emily spoke out but Spencer tilted her head and looked at her with widened eyes.

"Just the usual you know" Emily took a sip of her wine. "Married people not being able to agree on certain things"

Spencer sat back on her chair and sighed. "Ya I hear you. That's the worst part about marriage, you gotta learn to compromise"

Emily shuffled uncomfortably on the chair and shot her eyes up when she saw Ali walking toards them. The smile on Ali's face as Noah handed her his beaker and ran back off with his uncles was not missed by any of the girls, especially not Emily. She heard Hanna whisper "Imagine a mini Emily or Ali running around" and that was enough to make Emilys eyes sting with unshed tears. _'If only Ali could see how good she was with children...If only'_ Emily thought to herself.

The drive home from Spencers house in the cab was torture. Neither of them said a word to eachother and the silence was defeaning. When they trailed in through the front door Ali immedaitely reached for the bottle of wine on the counter. She needed atleast two more glasses in her system before the silence was broken because she knew exactly what was going to be said when it was.

Ali sauntered into the living room, wine glass in one hand and bottle in the other. She kicked off her shoes and slouched back into the chair with a loud, exasperated sigh.

Emily couldn't stand the silence anymore. She needed to talk to Ali. They needed to talk about their problems before they consumed their relationship.

"Alison" Emily called out as she walked towards the chair.

The blonde swallowed the contents of her mouth, staring blankly at the wine glass resting on her knee. "Yes...Emily."

"Can we talk...Please" Emily said in a voice that was just above a whisper, taking the glass from Ali's grip and placing it in the coffee table with the bottle.

Ali rubbed her temples with her fingers and sighed, slouching further back into the chair. "Don't start this...not tonight" she pleaded, doing everything in her power to avoid eye contact with the brunette.

"But we need to talk about this Ali, we can't just keep ignoring it and..."

"We already have talked about it Emily...Many times. I've told you already, I DO NOT WANT CHILDREN. Why can't you just accept that. I hate when you ask me repeatedly, knowing each time what my answer is!" The blonde surprised herself with her outburst but she was sick of Emily asking about children. She hated seeing the hurt look on Emily's face each time they fought about that one thing that was burning a hole in their relationship.

It wasn't long before the argument got really heated. After about ten minutes of shouting and crying, Emily did what she did best when things got hard with Ali, she left. She couldn't stand to watch her marriage crumble away underneath her and it broke her heart to see her wife cry. She knew that there was no way they would ever get through their problems if she kept leaving, but she knew if she stayed one of them would say something they would regret.

The brunette went to a small bar in Rosewood, the one where she was on a first name basis with the bartender, Jeffrey, who had become her personal therapist over the past few months. That bar was her escape from the troubles in her life and it seemed she was spending more and more time there. Sitting on the barstool she switched from wine, to jack daniels and it wasn't long before she was shooting back tequila shots like they were going out of fashion.

When Emily slammed her empty shot glass onto the table she heard someone call her name. The hairs on the back of her neck rose and she felt goosebumps form on her skin. She knew she was really drunk and figured it was her mind playing tricks on her until she turned around and a familiar face almost took here breath away.

"Paige" She called out, stumbling as she tried to make her way off the stool she was sitting on. "Long time no see" she slurred as she reached her ex girlfriend, pulling her in for a hug. A hug Paige accepted with open arms. The two had a lot of catching up to do...a lot.


	2. Moments later

**This chapter takes place immediately after the last, it's a bit long but it's necessary. There will be a time jump to more interesting things after this chapter. Enjoy:-)**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Moments Later**

The exes hug lasted longer than either of them had expected before they were broken from their moment when the woman beside Paige cleared her throat.

"Sorry, Em this is my fiancé, Torrey. Torrey this is Emi…."

"I'm Emily Dilaurentis-Fields, nice to meet you" Emily slurred while shaking the dark-haired woman's hand.

Paige looked at Emily. "Dilaurentis, huh….So you and Alison sealed the deal"

"Well if that's not obvious" Emily smiled sarcastically before downing the shot the bartender just placed in front of her.

"What brings you back here" the brunette hiccuped, leading the two women in front of her to lean back slightly.

"Eh, Torrey had to travel to Philly on business, so we said we would uh...visit family while we're here" Paige answered, noticing Emily had ordered three more shots while she was talking and really didn't seem at all interested in what she had to say.

Emily handed Paige and her fiancé a shot each, which they politely refused. She looked at both woman like they had four heads between them and sniggered loudly as she picked one of the tequila shots up. "More for me then" she cheered, downing them all one after another and slamming the empty glasses on the counter in front of her.

"God I need to go home" Emily murmured as she picked up her purse from the counter. She staggered away, tripping over her feet in the process and falling into her ex's arms.

"Easy there Em" Paige chuckled. She helped Emily up and held her upright infront of her. The brunette swayed from side to side with her eyes closed, just inches away from Paige's face.

Paige turned to Torrey and sighed. "I can't leave her go home like this"

"I agree" Torrey stated after a moment of hesitation. "Let's get her out of here"

Emily was lucky Torrey didn't drink because without the older woman's help she surely would have spent the night asleep in a bush somewhere.

* * *

Alison sat at the kitchen island, nervously tapping her feet on the ground. Emily had started to do this a lot when the two fought but the brunette would usually come home after an hour or two. This time Emily had been gone over four hours and the blonde couldn't help but think the worst. She called Emily's phone, only to realise the brunette had left it behind. She knew Emily was probably just blowing off steam in a bar somewhere, but she also knew how the brunette got when she had too much to drink and Ali couldn't help but worry about her wife.

The blonde snapped out of her trance when the doorbell rang. She jumped up and ran to answer, relieved that it was her wife but completely taken back when she saw who her wife was with.

"Okay, so I can explain" Emily blurted with a loud snigger before she laughed hysterically into her exes shoulder.

The blonde just stood there and looked and the two blankly. Her wife was drunk off her head, and she thought Paige was too with they way they were laughing to eachother. She wondered what the hell Emily was thinking showing up at their door with her ex girlfriend hanging off her.

"What the hell is going on?" Ali shouted, giving the two woman her famous dilaurentis glare. Paige and Emily immediately stopped laughing at this point, even though Emilys face gave the impression that she could break down in laughter any minute.

"Look" Emily took a deep breath. "I... had" she put her hand to her mouth and hiccuped. "I had a little too much to drink, okay. I was having fun and I ran into Paige and her fiancé Dory..."

"Torrey" Paige interrupted.

"Yeah, Tony" Emily continued. "And I accepted their kind offer to drop me home"

Ali sighed in relief when she saw the dark-haired woman sitting in the driver's seat of the car. This assured her that nothing could have possibly happened between the two exes, but Ali felt on-edge to have even thought Emily would do something like that to her.

Emily staggered through the door, but was quickly helped up by the pissed off blonde. "Thanks Paige, I appreciate it" Ali called out with a smile that didn't look as forced as it was to Paige who was already halfway down the steps.

Ali guided her drunk wife upstairs after locking the front door. She helped her into bed, pulled off her heels and replaced her clothes with an oversized t-shirt.

"I really don't understand you Ali, you would be such a great mom..." the brunette trailed off. "Hmm" she sighed as she drifted into a deep sleep. "I bet Paige would have given me children"

Ali's heart dropped at her wifes statement. She sat on the edge of the bed and stared blankely into the distance as her wifes words replayed over and over again in her head. Alison knew deep down that she wanted children with the love of her life, she really did but she also knew she wouldn't be any good at it. Especially not if she was any kind of a parent her mother was.

The blonde hated how her and Emily fought so much, especially when it was about children and she did sometimes feel like giving her wife what she wanted but she couldn't stand the thought of passing the Dilaurentis jenes onto a child or having a child that would think of her the way she thought of her mother. And it definitally wasn't fair to bring a child into a relationship that revolved around arguing.

On top of all that, Ali had realised something else after hearing the words that left Emily's mouth, the love of her life was surely going to grow to resent her and the blonde couldn't stand the thought of that.

Alison was filled with mixed emotions. She didn't know if she should be angry at Emily for storming out, disappearing for hours and then showing up at the door, drunk, with her ex-girlfriend hanging off her. She thought about it but decided it was best to just let it go. After all, talking to Emily about tonight would result in them discussing their argument, which would lead to the baby topic once again and Ali was not mentally prepared for another fight with her wife.

* * *

The next morning Ali had to leave for work early. It was her morning to open the Boutique so she was gone before Emily woke up.

The brunette opened her eyes and sat up in the bed and immediately thought the worst when the blonde was nowhere to be seen. Her head hurt, her mouth felt like sandpaper and the whole night was a blur. She made her way downstairs, bracing herself for what she could be walking into, but was relieved when she read the note on the table.

 ** _Hey babe, had to open the store but I should be home after lunch, didn't want to wake you, you looked so peaceful. Love you x -Ali_**

Emily smiled as she read the note left by her wife, the fight long forgotten about by now. She looked at the time, it was just after 10am. She walked towards the sink and poured a tall glass of cold water, hoping it would settle the pounding headache that had just set in. Emily knew she had a lot to do today, including watching her nephew for the evening, preparing the line-up for the swim meet in two weeks and grading her classes tests and homework. But really, the only thing Emily wanted to do right now was go back to bed, and so she did.

She was woken a few hours later to the smell of fresh coffee and opened her eyes to see the beautiful blonde walking towards the bed. "Morning babe, how's the head?" Ali joked while handing the brunette one of the cups in her hand.

"Thanks babe" Emily rasped with a small smile before taking a sip. She let the warm liquids swirl around in her mouth for a while and the warm sensation of it going down her throat made her feel a bit better. It was a no brainer that her wife made the best cup around.

"Ali" Emily paused and took a breath. "I'm so sorry I stormed out last night, and whatever you had to deal with when I came back because honestly... I can't remember anything"

"Your fine babe" Ali chuckled. "I'm sorry for snapping at you"

Emily sighed and rubed her hand across her forehead. "How DID I get home last night?"

"Well..." Ali trailed off with a soft chuckle, wondering if she should continue or not. "It...it involves you stumbling in the door with your ex girlfriend at around twelve last night"

Emily coughed into the cup she was drinking from. "I did what"

"Don't worry" Ali laughed. "It's not as bad as it sounds"

The two spent the next few minutes in bed wrapped in eachothers arms while Ali told Emily how she got home, leaving out what the brunette said just before she drifted off to sleep. The two laughed and apologised to each other once more and the blonde was more than relieved that the baby topic wasn't mentioned.

"Come on, let's get up, Spencer called me this morning and asked if we could take Noah a little earlier today. Tobys on duty and she has a meeting with the DA" Ali ran her hand through her hair and pulled the blankets off her wife's body.

"We have to collect the car as well" Emily added, staring off into the distance as she thought of all the things she had to do today.

The brunette looked over at her wife and smiled before she got up. "I need to take a shower...Care to join"

The blonde smiled her biggest dimpled smile and took her wife's hand, allowing the brunette to guide her into the bathroom.

* * *

About two hours later, Emily finished correcting the last of her classes homework. After putting all her things away and shutting off her laptop she grabbed her keys from the bowl on the kitchen island and made her way to the Cavanaugh house to collect her car and her nephew.

"Aunty Em" Noah called out when he saw Emily enter the house. He ran towards her and put his hands up to be lifted.

"Thanks so much Em" Spencer breathed out as she walked towards her best friend, filling a bag with spare clothes for her son and anything else he might need while in the Dilaurentis-Fields house for the day.

"Look, Toby got called in early to cover a shift, so he will be working all night. I'm not sure when I'll get out of work but I'll come collect Noah as soon as I can and I've put extra clothes in the bag, because this child can't stay clean for more than twenty minutes at a time…Oh and there's also a bottle in there for warm milk if he decides to take a nap" Spencer continued before chugging down the last of the coffee in her mug.

"Spence... slow down" the brunette laughed. She admired how hard her best friend worked. Spencer had been so busy working on a high-profile case the last few weeks and Emily could see she was stressed and drained of energy.

"Why don't you just let Noah stay at ours tonight, I have work in the morning but Hannas opening the store so Ali can watch him then" Emily suggested after leaving her Nephew down, watching him as he ran towards his toys on the coffee table.

"Oh That would be brilliant, Em, he will be delighted" Spencer smiled.

"Hey love bug" She called out to her son. "You want to have a sleepover in Aunty Em's house tonight?"

"Seepover, seepover, seepover" the three year old excitedly chanted. Spencer smiled down at her sons cuteness and leaned down to smother him in kisses.

"Who's ready for a sleepover" Emily cheered as she sat into the drivers seat of her car and turned the keys in the ignition.

"Meeeeeee" Noah squelled with his teddy, Franco clutched in his arms.

* * *

Ali was working on her computer at the kitchen island. The words the brunette said the night before kept replaying in her head and the blonde needed it to stop, she couldn't concentrate, she kept imagining Emily turning around in a few years and resenting the blonde for what she didn't give her or Emily leaving her, marrying someone else and starting a family with them. Even seeing Emily with Paige last night and how happy they looked when she opened the door made the blonde realise how easy it would be for the beautiful brunette to find happiness with someone else. All the scenarios Ali thought of just got worse and worse.

The blonde was snapped from her thoughts when Emily and Noah ran through the door.

"Hey babe" Emily greeted, placing a kiss on her wifes forehead. "Noah's going to have a sleepover tonight" She said to a tense Ali before sitting her nephew on the counter and emptying the grocery bags full of sweets and drinks the two brunettes had picked up on the way home.

"Aunty Ali we gotted sweets and dwinks" Noah squealed.

"Lucky us" Ali smiled while standing up and ruffling her excited nephews hair. Ali took a glass from the cupboard and began filling it with wine.

Emily sent Noah into the front room with a bar of chocolate and turned on the TV. "Dont tell mommy" she smiled when she handed him a beaker of soda. Her nephew looked up at her with his blue eyes and put his finger to his lips.

Emily returned to the kitchen to find Ali standing by the window, staring blankly at the glass of wine between her fingers. Emily crept up behind her and grabbed her by the hips, pulling the closer as she places kisses along the side of her neck.

"What's wrong with you today" the brunette mumbled against the blondes skin.

"Nothing" Ali smiled as she turned around to face her wife. She placed a kiss on Emily's lips and quickly heated it by running her tongue along Emily's bottom lip. She quickly gained access to Emilys mouth and once inside their tongues immediately battled for dominance. The blonde didn't want to leave the brunette go.

"We have company" Emily whispered as she reluctantly pulled away from the blonde.

"It's not like he's never walked in on Spencer and Toby, those two never stop" Ali joked as she stepped away from Emily and continued sipping her drink.

The two were interrupted when an excited and overactive three year old ran in through the kitchen to them, stopping at Emilys legs and looking up to her with a big smile on his face. "Play aunty em"

"On my way, munchkin" Emily smiled, ruffling his brunette hair before trailing in behind him to the living room.

Emily spent the rest of the day playing with her nephew while Ali sat in the kitchen and worked. The two brunettes played hide and seek and then decided to made a mini fort which they then lay inside while watching a movie streaming from Emilys laptop.

A few hours later Ali got up from her spot at the island after finishing the piles of paperwork she had to do. She filled her wine glass to celebrate and walked into the living room. She looked into the fort to see a sight that melted her heart. Noah and Emily were fast asleep, her nephew was on her wifes chest with his arms wrapped around her. It was moments like these, watching how good Emily was with the little boy that made Ali question her decision not to have child.

Seeing her beautiful wife and how happy she looked brought Ali back to the night she confessed her love for Emily. It was a little under 10 years ago, the two best friends had always been in love with each other, but it took Emily going off to college and leaving the blonde alone in Rosewood that made Ali realise how much she wanted the brunette. Ali and Emily would spend weekends visiting each other, having an occasional 'slip' as Aria would call it but One weekend in particular proved Ali was in fact, madly in love with the brunette. And it was that weekend their relationship was born.

XXXXXXXXXX

 _It was just after 4pm when Ali pulled up outside the airport to collect Emily. She was looking forward to spending some time with the brunette who was finished college for the christmas holidays and coming home to spend it with her family._

 _"Hey stranger" Ali called out as she walked to the brunette._

 _"Ohhh" Emily mumbled into Ali's shoulder as she pulled her in for a hug. "I missed you"_

 _"I missed you too" Ali smiled, holding Emilys hands in hers and smiling into those intoxicating blue orbs._

 _"So what's the plan for tonight?" Emily smiled to the blonde as she sat in the passengers seat of the car._

 _"I was thinking about getting bombed, I got us both fake ID's" Ali grinned, keeping her eyes on the icy road ahead as she pulled out of the parking spot outside the doors of the airport._

 _"Ohhhhhh i'm in" Emily beamed, plugging her phone into the CD player in Ali's car. Of course with it being less than two weeks until christmas, the brunette, being the holiday lover that she is turned on a christmas playlist. The two spend the short drive back to rosewood, singing along to Mariah Carey's AlI I Want for Christmas is You._

 _A few hours later the two women made their way in through the doors of a nightclub in Rosewood. They were dressed casual, but sexy. The place was crowded but they managed to find a seat on a high table near the bar and ordered their drinks, which they had no problem getting._

 _They were in the bar less than an hour and before Emily knew it, Ali had her dragged out on the dance floor. The two bobbed along to the music with the crowd and danced together to a few songs. Ali watched as Emily and a red-haired woman kept making eye contact with eachother and it wasnt long before Emily made her way over to her. The two began dancing face to face and smiled at eachother as the music got faster._

 _An older man danced towards Ali and put his hands on her hips, Ali turned around with wide eyes and tensed up as the bald man, who looked like he was in his forties looked put his face into the crook of her neck._

 _"Get off me you perv" She shouted, pulling her body away from his grip and watching as he danced away from her with a smile on his face._

 _Ali sat down on her chair with a perfect view of the dance floor. She shivered when thinking of the bald man and how he held her. She scanned the floor for the brunette to find she was still dancing with the red-haired woman. Emily had her back to the woman's front and the woman held Emily's hips. The brunette put her hands up and ran her fingers through the short red hair while the woman pulled Emily closer and began kissing the side of her neck. Emily turned around to face her and the red haired woman took her lips in for a hungry kiss._

 _Alison felt insanely jealous when she saw the brunette dancing with and kissing the red-haired woman. She felt her heart beat faster when she saw Emily being guided over to the wall where the two continued making out, but more aggressively this time._

 _Ali wanted more than anything to go over there and pull the brunette away for herself. She knew she was in love with Emily, she had been for a long time now. She knew at this moment that she wanted the brunette, and she wanted her for herself. She knew she couldn't hide from her feelings any longer, but that was okay, because she didn't want to._

 _Ali worked up all the courage she had and walked up to the bar. She ordered a shot of tequila, downed it and slammed the glass onto the counter before throwing the waiter a five dollar bill._

 _She gazed out onto the dance floor and took a deep breath. "Here we go"_

 _Alison dashed over to the brunette, who was being pinned up against the wall by the red head woman. She took another deep breath, pushed the red-haired woman out of the way and cupped Emily's face, taking her in for a deep and passionate kiss._

 _"What the Fuck" The red-haired woman hissed before rolling her eyes and storming off into the crowd with a loud groan._

 _Emily was taken completely by surprise at the blondes actions, and had no intention in stopping the kiss. She couldn't believe it, she was kissing Alison Dilaurentis once again, but this it wasn't a secret. Emily was ecstatic. Alison had literally swooped her off her feet._

 _Alison put every emotion she ever felt towards Emily into the kiss and after a few more moments, she pulled away, gazing into the brown orbs that were filled with so much love. "Let's take this somewhere else" she rasped._

 _Ali took Emily to the the Kissing rock, where she confessed her love for Emily and Emily was overjoyed to hear what Ali had to say. She was more than happy when the blonde told her she didn't want the spend another day without her. Ali vowed that night, the night their relationship was born, that she would love the brunette as long as she lived and would never let anything get in between them… Anything._

XXXXXXXXXX

The problem was, something was getting in between them. And it was slowly pulling the two apart.

Ali let out an exasperated sigh and buried her head in her hands. She knew her and Emily weren't going to be able to keep up this lovey dovey act for long and it wouldn't be long before they were fighting again, either because of children or because of something else they decide to argue about.

* * *

About an hour later Ali was relaxing on the sofa watching Grey's Anatomy when she heard her wife shuffling out of the fort that she had made with her nephew.

"I'm going to take him upstairs" The bruentte whispered while settling the three year old in her arms. "Would you get the bed ready"

"Already done" Ali smiled. She followed the brunette upstairs to the guest bedroom, the bedroom Emily hoped would one day belong to her children and Ali watched as Emily tucked the sleeping child in and smiled down at him while rubbing her hands through his hair.

"You wanna go into the bedroom and finish what we started in the kitchen earlier" Emily rasped, her eyes filled with lust and her voice filled with want.

"After you" the blonde grinned. She followed Emily out of the guest room with a barely audible sigh. She could see Emily was trying so hard and she was too. She just wished their love could be effortless again.

Emily walked backwards into the bedroom, Ali following closely in front of her as she began unzipping the brunettes jumper. She pulled the item of clothing off of her wife and tossed it behind her, smiling her signature dimpled smile when she saw nothing but a lacy bra underneath it.

Emily leaned her forehead against her wifes and smiled before cupping Ali's face, pulling her lips towards her and starting off the kiss. Ali rubbed her hands up her wifes back, unclasping the brunettes bra in the process and pulling it off. Emily deepened the kiss while unbuttoning the blondes pyjamas, thankful her wife was braless underneath. Ali brushed her hands through the brunettes hair, while Emily threw the pyjamas top to the side. The two carried on undressing eachother and Ali took Emily by the hand, leading her to the bed. They both got in and under the covers where the blonde continued the passionate kiss.

Emily rubbed her legs up and down her wifes and ran her hand through the blondes hair. Ali reluctantly broke away from the kiss and looked into the brown orbs.

"Everything okay?" Emily asked.

Ali held the brunettes hand in her own and looked down at there interlocking fingers. She looked back up to Emily, stared for a second and smiled.

"You know I love you right" she said.

"What" Emily questioned as she sat up and leaned on her elbow.

"I just want you to know I'll always love you" the blonde continued.

Emily looked at Ali, confused by where this was coming from. "Why are you getting so sentimental all of a sudden?"

Ali paused for a second. "I don't know" she smiled and shook her head, placing her hand on the back of her neck and leaning on it to support her. "I'll stop"

"Yeah please" Emily furrowed her brows. "I'm trying to create a vibe here and it definitely is not sweet" Emily smiled at her wife and Ali chuckled softly before cupping the brunettes cheek and pulling her in to resume their passionate kiss.


	3. Unexpected

**Merry Christmas everyone. Hope you all had a great day.**

 **This chapter is set two months after the last one. Ali and Emily's relationship has remained challenging over the past few weeks. Things are changing for almost all of the girls. Some are small changes, and some are life changing.**

 **Chapter 3: Unexpected**

It was just after 10am on a Friday morning when Hanna unlocked the door of the boutique. She walked inside and flipped the sign on the window from closed to open. She then picked up the mail that was on the floor and tossed it on the counter while humming 'Let it Go' from Frozen. Noah had gotten a Disney DVD collection for his birthday two months before and made sure he brought it with him to Hanna's when her and Caleb were babysitting him last night. They watched Frozen on repeat and as much as she wanted to get the song out of her head, she couldn't.

"Stupid fucking song" she mumbled as she placed her bag behind the counter and took off her black Prada sunglasses.

She continued humming and broke into singing while walking towards the dressing room to retrieve the boxes she had stored in there the night before.

"Conceal don't feel don't let them knowwwwww"

"Well now they knowwwwwwwww"

"Let it goooo, let it gooowaaAAAAAAAHHHHHH" she screamed.

"Jesus Ali, what the fuck. What are u doing here? You could have announced yourself" Hanna paused and took a moment to gather herself. "I was about to go full blown Kung Fu Panda on your ass"

"Sorry...I thought I text you" Ali mumbled in response.

Hanna glared at Ali with her hand firmly placed on her heart. "Well you didn't"

Ali let out a deep sigh in response and ran her hand through her ruffled hair.

"Wait...Did you sleep here?" Hanna asked, eyeing the blonde and waiting for a valid explanation as to why she was laying there with mascara running down her flushed face.

"No...No I just came here early" Ali rasped as she sat upright on the chair. "Emily dropped me on her way to work this morning. I was up early so I said I'd come in and get some work done before opening...but then my head started going places"

"Whats wrong?" Hanna questioned, her face scrunching in disguist when Ali blew her nose into one of the many tissues scattered around her.

"Ugh" Ali sighed, running her hand over her face. She really wasn't in the mood to tell her friend that her marriage was falling apart. "It's nothing Han"

"Ali...your eyes tell a different story, now spill" Hanna demanded, taking a seat on the chair next to Ali

"It's just…...My mind is everywhere"

"Why's that?" Hanna questioned

Ali took a deep breath and and picked on a loose thread on the chair.

"Ali" Hanna called out. "You know you can talk to me right"

Alison looked up at her blonde friend, her icy blue eyes were filled with concern. She knew she wasn't getting out of this easy so it was best to just cut to the chase and tell Hanna. ' _Maybe it might be good to talk to someone'_ Ali thought to herself, seeing as she was getting anywhere when she tried to talk to Emily. Alison blew out air from her cheeks and fiddled with her wedding ring on her finger.

"Me and Emily are in such a bad place right now..." Ali trailed off with a loud sigh. "We're fighting all the time and the issue is never resolved. It usually ends with crying or Emily storming out somewhere" she took a deep breath. "And a few weeks ago she left the house and got hammered, and well...she came home with Paige."

"She what" hanna shouted in disbelief

"Nothing happened, she just…. she gave Emily a ride home, and well.. she..." Ali dropped her head in her hands.

"She what?"

Ali paused for a minute and darted her eyes up to the ceiling, trying to prevent more tears spilling from her eyes. "She mumbled something before she went to sleep and it's...it's just been replaying in my head all the time since"

Hanna rubbed circles along around Alis back to comfort her. "What did she say"

"I was helping her into bed and before she dozed off she mumbled 'I bet Paige would have given me children'...it just broke my heart to hear that you know"

Just telling Hanna how she was feeling, how things were between the married couple and what Emily said that night made the tears she was holding back fall freely down her face. The blonde was feeling so overwhelmed by the whole situation.

"So the fights have been about babies?" Hanna sighed.

"Yeah, most of them" Ali sighed. "Emily wants kids. I don't...Well I do, but I just...I don't know. I'm not cut out for it." Ali took another tissue from the box and wiped her face while Hanna placed a reassuring squeese on her arm. "And I'm waking up at all hours of the night covered in sweat because I dream of Emily leaving me and having babies with someone else, or her turning around In ten years and hating me for not giving her children...Well...that is if we even last 10 years" Ali let out a deep sigh, giving Hanna a moment to take everything in before she continued. "I know at the start of our relationship we talked about children but we just brushed it off until recently and ever since we started talking about it again we're just...Distant, you know? Especially the past few weeks. Our marriage has reached a new now, its crumbling away right before our eyes and we try to act like its okay...but it's not"

Hanna shook her head, trying to process the information that was thrown at her. It broke her heart to see Ali like this. She knew there was tension between Emily and Ali everytime she saw them together but she didn't know it was this bad. She looked at Ali and took her hands in her own. "Ali...What makes you think your not cut out to be a mother? You would be a great mother. I've seen you with Noah, that child adores you….and Emily. Even last night when he was with me and Caleb he was asking to go to your house to play. He loves his aunts Em and Ali" she smiled.

"I just can't imagine myself being a good mom you know? My mother definitely wasn't any good at it" Ali paused, taking a moment to gather herself. "I really want children with Emily, I do...but I won't put a child through that. And it hurts me so much to do this to Emily but I refuse to become Jessica Dilaurentis."

Hanna laughed at the blondes words and moved her hands to her friends shoulders. "Ali you're nothing like your mother. Your Alison Dilaurentis. Your you, your not her. I mean you've come so far since high school, your such a kind, genuine and loving person. What makes you think that's all going to change when you have a baby?"

"I never thought of it that way" Ali sniffled. "I've been so tempted to tell Emily I want babies with her but every time I go to do it I hear my mums voice, laughing at me telling me I would be a terrible mother, that I would be just like her and that bringing children into a failing relationship is the worst thing I could do to them"

"Ali, that's all in your head. If you want to become a mother then become a mother. Don't let your conscience control your life. It's as simple as that. Having a baby doesn't mean you'll automatically become Jessica Dilaurentis. I mean just because me and Caleb are having a baby doesn't mean Caleb's going to leave like his dad did...well atleast I hope he doesn't" Hanna trailed off with a soft chuckle. "He's almost as excited as I am. I know he has a good relationship with his dad now but he didn't have that when he was younger. Caleb even said that it would inspire him to be a great father, and he always told me before I got pregnant that he would be a father his father wasn't. So Ali...you go be a mother your mother wasn't."

"Hold on" Ali held her hands out infront of Hanna. "Your pregnant?."

"Shit" Hanna smiled. "I promised Caleb I wouldn't say anything, we only found out a few weeks ago"

"HANNA. Oh My God I'm so happy for you" Ali beamed, placing her hand on the blondes non visible bump. "My lips are sealed"

Hanna smiled, pulling her blonde friend and businesspartner in for a hug. "Now you get your ass moving and make me some Dilaurentis-Fields baby's to spoil"

The two blondes were interrupted from their moment when a shocked looking Aria waddled towards them with bagels and coffee in her hands.

The petite brunette cleared her throat. "Sorry to interrupt...whatever's going on here but I decided to bring you some lunch...and" She looked down to her bump. "...And then my water broke...on your floor, yep right over there by the counter"

The two blondes shot up from their spot of the sofa with wide eyes and immediately jumped into action.

"Fuck, Hanna you drive" Ali shouted.

"Oh god...I'm not delivering a baby in this store. Where are my keys?" Hanna screamed

"I'll call Ezra on the way" Ali blurted as the two women helped the very pregnant brunette out to Hanna's car, locking the shop door behind them.

* * *

"Soooo, I want you to finish questions 10-18 and start reading the next two chapters for Monday. And remember your portfolios are due before summer break so get moving with them, I want no excuses okay...No portfolio no grade simple as" the chemistry teacher trailed off as the bell rang. "Okay have a nice weekend" she finished as the students began filing out of her classroom.

"Coach" a students voice called as she entered the room.

"Oh Amber, Hi. What can i do for you?" Emily asked while packing her things into her bag.

"I wanted to ask if you would consider letting me swim the last leg of the relay next weekend?"

"Well...Kyra has already asked me but...maybe I'll let you two battle it out in the pool at swim practice Monday. Winner gets to swim the last leg."

"Sounds fair" the student smiled "Thanks Mrs D-Fields."

"Your welcome Amber. Have a nice half day."

Since it was a half day and Emily had a few hours before Ali came home from work, she planned to cook her wife a nice dinner. She planned to head straight to the store and get all the ingredients she needed, as well as a boquet of roses and some candles for the table. They really needed to relight that spark in their relationship and actually talk, have a real conversation without fighting. The brunette was sick of watching her relationship fall apart.

Emily threw her bag over her shoulder and picked up her phone from her desk. When she pressed the home button on her phone she saw she had two missed calls and a text from Ali.

 **Hey babe, At the hospital with Aria and Hanna. Aria came into the shop with lunch for us and her water broke. This baby's coming fast so hurry. Love you xx -Ali**

Emily eyes widened with excitement when she read the text. She got her things and rushed out of her classroom trying to avoid eye contact with everyone in the hall so none of them would stop her for a conversation while she made her way to her car. The brunette was so excited to have another niece or nephew to spoil. It was the least she could do since it didn't seem like she and Ali were ever going to have children of their own.

She arrived at the hospital less than twenty minutes later to be met by Alison standing at the entrance.

"Hey" Emily smiled as she ran breathlessly towards the blonde. "How's the mum-to-be?"

"I imagine she's in a LOT of pain" Ali chuckled, placing a kiss on her wifes lips. A kiss Emily gratefully accepted. "This baby isn't wasting any time Em, The labour came on so fast. Baby fitz is already nearly here"

"Poor Aria" Emily chuckled. "Where are the others?"

"Hannas in the waiting room and Spencer's on her way. I just needed some air...Everything happened so fast, I mean, one minute me and Hanna were talking and the next thing I'm in a delivery room getting my hand squeezed off, listening to Aria AND Hanna screaming. Hanna decided to scream along because apparently it seemed to be helping Aria. Although I think it was Helping Hanna more" Ali trailed off with a soft chuckle. "And then Aria was shouting at everyone that touched her because Ezra wasn't there."

"Did he come in time" Emily asked.

"Just in time. Arias Doctor was getting ready to deliver and he ran through the door. Thank god he did because Me and Hanna would have had to step in and I don't think I could have handled that, never mind Hanna." Alison laughed.

The blonde held Emily's hand and smiled at her. She looked into those brown orbs and for the first time in weeks she felt peace of mind. She had to admit, a baby right now would be great for them because it would would add a ray of sunshine to their relationship, it would give them a reason to sort their problems and it would be something to make them happy again.

"Come on" she smiled to the brunette. "let's go upstairs"

The two walked up to the waiting room hand in hand through comfortable silence. The first time in weeks that the silence between them felt right.

"What's wrong with you?" Ali asked with furrowed brows when she saw Hanna wiping tears from her eyes with kleenex from the box that the nurse had placed infront of her.

"Oh nothing" she sniffled. "You know just the miracle of life. We're all finally becoming parents and it's just so overwhelming"

"Hormones" Ali mouthed to her friend from behind Emilys back.

"What do you mean were all becoming parents" Emily chuckled. "There's only two babies between the five of us Han"

Hanna stared blankly at the two in front of her, hoping she hadn't given away any of her and Ali's conversation from earlier in the day. Ali looked at her with folded arms and a smirk, waiting to see what excuse she would come up with.

Hanna tried to save herself. "Well we all are at some stage" But while doing so just made the situation more uncomfortable

Emily breathed in deeply through her nose and wiped non existent dirt from her shirt. This conversation had suddenly swerved in a direction that was ruining the good mood. She didn't even catch onto the fact that Hanna just let it slip that she was pregnant, and that Ali had some news of her own to share with her wife once they got home.

The girls sat in the waiting room for what felt like hours. Ali hadn't gotten a proper night sleep in a while so, with her mind finally at ease, the exhausted blonde dozed off on her wifes laps.

Hanna was sitting across from the two reading a vogue magazine while Emily sat running her fingers through the blondes hair eagerly waiting to find out if she had a new niece or a nephew.

"Who's watching the store?" Emily asked.

"Closed for the day" hanna answered.

"Didn't you two just hire someone two weeks ago, why not ask her to work?"

"No point" Hanna rolled her eyes. "She'll probably just give me some stupid excuse like she always does. Me and Ali are going to get rid of her and hire someone else, she's useless" the blonde trailed off with a loud sigh. "Fridays are usually quiet anyway"

Spencer arrived mid conversation and ran over to her friends, buzzing with excitement just like them.

"Spence I delivered the baby in the stockroom" Hanna joked as she stood up and hugged her friend.

"Oh I'm sure you did Dr Rivers" Spencer grinned as she handed the three girls the coffes she got them on the way over.

The commotion woke Ali up and her and Hanna told Spencer and Emily about the ordeal they had with Aria who refused to push out the baby without Ezra being there.

"Where's Noah?" Hanna asked before sipping her iced tea, which she tried to imagine was an iced mocha. Her caffeine withdrawals were coming on strong since she stopped drinking coffee a few weeks ago.

"Melissa came home from London last night. Her and Wren are watching him. They brought him and Theo to the movies to see the new Spiderman movie"

"How old is Theo now? I haven't seen him in so long?" Ali questioned, holding her vanilla latte firmly in her hands.

"He's six, he's such a cutie with his little british accent, and he is Wrens double" Spencer smiled. "You should see him, it's like looking at a mini Wren"

Hanna widened her eyes. "I suppose it's better than looking at a Mini melissa"

The group broke into laughter and conversation continued between them as they sipped on their drinks and eagerly awaited news on their new niece or nephew.

About two hours later Ezra strolled down the corridor, a smile from ear to ear. The four jumped up from their seats and were already standing when Ezra reached them.

"So… would you like to come and meet your niece" he beamed

"Niece" Emily breathed.

"A tiny baby Aria" Spencer smiled with her hand to her heart.

The girls followed Ezra into the room to see Aria sitting there staring at the beautiful baby girl in her arms. She greeted the girls with a smile and Ezra walked over and kissed her forehead.

"We'd like you to meet...Jane Ella Fitz" Aria announced, smiling down at her and her husbands green-eyed bundle of joy.

"Jane...oh my god I love it" Hanna announced with her hand to her heart.

"It suits her" Emily smiled down to the baby in Arias arms.

"Hello sweet girl" Spencer whispered after she accepted the baby girl from Arias arms. She held the baby for a few minutes, admiring her beautiful little features as the rest talked around her, asking Aria how the labour was and of course, Hanna asking if she pooped on the table.

"Your cousin Noah is so excited to meet you" Spencer smiled before handing the baby over to Hanna. "She's beautiful guys" she smiled at Aria and walked over to give the brunette a hug.

"You little beaut, look at you, I can already tell you'll be a heartbreaker" Hanna smiled while fighting back tears. "I'm your aunt Hanna and I'm going to spoil you rotten baby girl, yess I am"

Hanna admired the baby's green eyes and little specks of brunette hair. She reluctantly handed the her over to Emily and then looked up at Aria and Ezra. "I'm so proud of u babe" she called out to the petite brunette while walking over and pulling the two proud parents in for a hug.

Aria and Ezra were beaming with excitement and started to talk to the girls about their choice of name. They had decided to name their daughter after the famous author, Jane Austen.

"I figured you guys would use a cute literary name" Spencer smirked from her position on the bed next to Aria. "You know, having parents who are both authors and English majors"

"Who's Jane Austen?" Hanna questioned, her brows knitted in confusion.

"Jeez Hanna" Ezra laughed. "Didn't I teach you anything when I was your teacher"

Ali and Emily both looked at their niece while conversation continued between the others.

"She's beautiful" Emily rasped with a smile as the tears brimming in her eyes were becomming impossible to hold in.

"Aww babe don't cry" Ali chuckled, wiping a stray tear from Emily's cheek before she rested her head on her wifes shoulder.

In this moment, Ali knew this is what she wanted. She wanted Emily and she wanted a baby. Her relationship may be rocky right now but her life was perfect with Emily in it and a baby with the love of her life would just top it all off. She couldn't wait to get home and tell Emily she was ready...ready to start their little family.

Hanna looked over at Ali and the two shared a knowing smile.

Emily placed a gentle kiss on Janes head and handed her to her wife.

"Well aren't you a cutie, Wow you look just like your mommy." The bkmde grinned as she cradled the newborn in her arms.

Ali couldn't help the tears that ran down her cheeks. She didn't know what she was thinking refusing to have a baby with Emily because right now a baby is all that she wanted.

"Look whos crying now" Emily chuckled as she wiped the blondes tears and kissed her forehead.

Ali gently rubbed Janes head with her thumb and after a few minutes of mezmorizing the baby, handed her to her daddy.

After about an hour with the proud new parents and their little niece Jane, the girls decided to leave and let Aria and Ezra spend some alone time with their new baby.

"I think we should go somewhere for the summer" Ali suggested on the car drive home. "We really need to reconnect, relight that spark in our relationship and I think Paris would be the best place to do it"

Emily looked to her wife and smiled before putting her eyes back on the road. "That's weird...I was only thinking the same thing in class today."

"We might as well...Enjoy the last of our freedom while we can" she hinted as a huge smile broke out on her face.

"What do you mean the last of our freedom" Emily questioned, confused at her wife's statement.

"Oh nothing" Ali smiled, placing her hand on Emily's knee and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Nothing" she chuckled softly and shook her head.

The two women stopped at the traffic light which gave Emily to opportunity to look over at her wife in the passenger's seat.

"You know I can't figure you out" she smiled, reaching over and pushing a strand of hair behind Ali's ear.

The two girls got caught in each other's loving gaze. Emily's eyes widened and smile dropped when the headlights of a car coming towards them caught her attention. The driver of the car had lost control and was coming straight towards them, towards her wife who was completely unaware of what was about to happen. Ali looked at her distracted wife questionably but before she could come to the realisation about what was about to happen, it was too late...


	4. The aftermath

**Happy new year everyone. I planned on posting this chapter a lot earlier but kept going back to edit it and change a few things. It's finally finished so here it is:)**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: The aftermath.**

"Emily Dilaurentis-Fields, age 28, multiple right arm contusions and an obvious head lac" Shouted one of the paramedics as they burst through the ER doors with the brunette in a stretcher.

"My wife please where's my wife… ALISON….Ali please where is she" Emily screamed, her voice filled with fear. "Let me up, PLEASE. I'm fine where is Alison" she continued while paramedics struggled to hold her down.

"Emily, Hello I'm doctor Grey. Your wife is on route with paramedics. Now I need you to relax so we can check you out okay" A Doctor called out, trying desperately to calm the brunette.

Emily looked around her, still trying to process the whole situation. "But Ali...The car just... just came right towards us"

"Emily, she's in good hands. Now let's get you checked out okay" The doctor reassured her.

Emily lay on the stretcher and let out an uncontrollable sob while the paramedics transferred her onto a hospital bed. She had no idea if Ali was dead or alive. She tried desperately to talk to her wife before the paramedics took her away but Ali just sat there with her mouth and eyes wide open, trying to respond but no words were coming out.

"Now Emily is there anyone I can call" Dr Grey asked after making her way around the paramedics and over to the brunette, peeking under the bloody bandage around her head. "Emily" the doctor repeated while clicking her fingers.

"S..Sorry what" Emily asked when she snapped out of her gaze on the emergency room door.

"Is there anyone I can call?" Dr Grey repeated

"Ehm...my...my parents" the brunette rasped.

Emily had just began giving her parents number to a nurse when the doors of the ER burst open.

"Alison Dilaurentis-Fields, mid 20s, obvious head and chest injuries. Tachycardic and hypotensive on route" A paramedic frantically shouted to the doctors and nurses that were running towards the stretcher.

"Alison" Emily screamed as she jumped up and ran towards her wife.

"She's hemorrhaging" one of the many doctors crowded around her wife announced.

"Wait, wait Hold on. Is that blood coming from her chest?" Another shouted.

"Ali, Ali baby I'm here, I'm here." Emily exclaimed as she reached her wife.

The brunettes blood went icy cold when she saw Alison's state. She was covered in cuts and scrapes, her face was crimson coloured and there were bandages everywhere used to cover her open wounds. She had a splint on her neck that matched the colour of her blood stained hair and an oxygen mask was placed over her mouth to help her breath.

One of the doctors saw Alison trying to speak under the mask so she moved it to the side allowing her to speak to her wife.

"Em...Emily" Alison gurgled as blood poured out of her mouth, tears ran down her face and she gasped for air. She let out a few desperate whimpers before her eyes slowly fluttered closed.

"No Ali don't close your eyes, stay awake babe please" Emily panted. "Ali look at me, come on wake up" she pleaded, tears falling down her cheeks because she knew Ali closing her eyes in this situation wasn't good.

Ali could hear wife, she could but she couldn't respond. She couldn't even open her eyes. Her breaths were becoming deeper and faster and Emily's voice continued to fade until she couldn't hear it anymore, or anything else for that matter.

"Miss I need you to step out of the way please" Came a nurses stern voice.

"She's my wife, please don't let her die on me. PLEASE." Emily shouted, her voice filled with desperation.

Dr Grey ran over towards Emily and pulled her away as the other doctors made their way to one of the procedure rooms with Ali.

"Please don't let her die...I love you Ali" Emily yelled.

"Come on Emily, the doctors will look after her" Dr Grey called out while pulling the brunette towards her own bed so she could calm her and give her some oxygen.

"She...she huuuuu hates hospitals" Emily protested as she struggled for breath.

"Emily it's okay" the doctor said once she sat the brunette on the bed, placing an oxygen mask over her face to help her breath. "Now let's get you fixed up"

After calming Emily down slightly Dr Grey replaced the bandage and gauze the paramedics had used to close her open head wound with a new one and temporarily closed it after examining the deep wound carefully. She had to keep fetching Emily because every time she left to get some extra gause or medical tape the brunette would desperately try to make her way to her wife. After that Dr Grey closed the wounds on Emily's arms with a few stitches and put a temporary splint on her arm while awaiting results of the x-ray. Just as she finished cleaning all the cuts and scrapes Emily had scattered around her body she left to deal with another patient and minutes after, Pam, Wayne and Hanna burst through the emergency room doors.

"Emily" Pam shouted as her and the others ran towards the brunette.

"What happened Emmy?" her dad panted.

Emily couldn't bring herself to talk when she saw her parents and her friend, she opened her mouth but it was so hard to get the words out. She couldn't stop the tears that flowed down her face as she watched her family try to process the situation.

"Ali...she...there was...b..blood everywhere but she...she's alive...I think….I don't…I don't know" the brunette whimpered, the pain trickling down her cheeks.

The last of the colour on Pam and Wayne's face drained and Hanna put her hand to her mouth when she heard Emily talking, the blondes pulse raced and a cold sweat broke out on her body. She couldn't believe that only this morning her and Ali were talking about the couple starting a family. How could they have gotten from there, to here.

"Hi Mr and Mrs Fields I'm Dr Grey" the doctor approaching them announced.

"H...Hanna Marin" the blonde stammered when the doctor looked at her to introduce herself. "I'm there friend"

"So Emily suffered a severe head laceration and some very serious arm contusions. We're just waiting on the results of her X-ray to confirm how serious and they should be here shortly. Now I have done a full neuro workup and everything seems to be fine but I am worried about the deepness of the wound and the delayed bleeding so I have booked a head CT just to be safe"

"What about Alison" Emily blurted out, taking the words right out of Hannas mouth and hoping the this time she would get a solid answer now that her parents were there.

"Your wife is still being worked on but one of her doctors should be out soon to give you an update" she said with a small smile.

"Thank you very much Dr Grey, I appreciate it." Wayne added, pulling the doctor to the side to ask her what happened.

"All I know is that the driver of the other car that came towards them was in his sixties. He had a seizure behind the wheel and lost control of the car. He died at the scene before paramedics arrived." Dr Grey explained

Wayne nodded at the doctor and made his way back over to the girls. This whole situation was terrible and made his heart break. He looked over to his daughter who was resting on his wife's shoulder completely lost in her thoughts, he was heartbroken that she could very well lose the love of her life.

He remembered back to the first christmas her and Ali spent with them as a couple. The time they were so happy and carefree.

XXXXXXXXXX

 _ _"From Ali" the brunette announced, all four of them gathering around the tree as the giftopening began. _Emily ripped open the wrapping paper to reveal a small box, which held a beautiful diamond ring. _She looked at her girlfriend, her eyes brightened and smile widened. _"Ali...its beautiful" she exclaimed._____

 _"It's a promise ring" the blonde announced, taking the box from Emily's hand and lifting the ring out._ _"A promise that I will love you forever" She continued as she slid the ring onto Alison's finger. "_ _I know I've wasted a lot of time hiding from who I really am, and leading you on only to shut you out when my feeling got too strong. I love you so much Em, I've loved you since the start…These past weeks have been the happiest of my life and I know there's more happiness to come. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you, to travel the world with you, to move to Paris with you, to love you eternally. This ring symbolises us...and our future together."_

 _"Ali" Emily whispered as tears fell down her face. "Is this a marriage proposal?" she joked._

 _Ali almost choked on the sob caught on the back of her throat as she let out a soft chuckle. "A little soon for that Em, don't you think"_

 _Emily laughed and placed a quick kiss on Ali's lips as she pulled her in for a hug. "I love it…I love you"_

 _"I love you too" Ali breathed into the brunettes neck._

 _Pam wiped a tear from her cheeks and looked at her husband, whose face was filled with joy and happiness. She looked up at him and smiled before he tightened his grip around her waist, placing a kiss on her forehead. He leaned his chin on the older woman's head and looked proudly at his daughter, his madly in love daughter who was admiring her new ring. He was overjoyed that his Emmy was with the love of her life. He knew the girls had only been official the past few weeks, but he also knew his daughter had been in love with Ali since day one and he was so happy that his daughter got her happily ever after. He could see by the way the two looked at each other that this love was real._

 _XXXXXXXXXX_

An announcement on the intercom brought Wayne back to reality. He looked over to Emily who sat on the bed, dried tears on her cheeks and blood covering her hands. She looked rough, she had a temporary splint on her arm to keep the bones in place while awaiting results of the X-ray and her hand was being held up by a sling. She had a bandage and gauze wrapped around her head wound that was just under her hairline and her eyes were swollen from crying. Her face and arms were covered in cuts and scrapes and her clothes and arms were covered in hers and Alison's blood.

He tried desperately to swallow the lump in his throat. Ali was one of the best thing in his daughter's life right now and he couldn't imagine what it would be like trying to put his daughter back together it anything were to happen to her wife.

Emily sat on the bed, her face buried in her hand praying to god that her wife would pull through, that she would be okay.

Moments later one of Alison's doctors graced the group with his presence. The group sat up straight eagerly awaiting news on the blonde.

"Mrs Dilaurentis-Fields, I'm your wife's Doctor, Dr Hunt, would you mind following me please." The red haired man asked.

"What's wrong, is Ali okay?" Emily questioned, wide eyed with fear.

"Mrs Dilaurentis Fields would you follow me please and we can talk more privately" he repeated

"Just tell me is she okay" Emily asked, the rage in her voice showing this time at the doctors lack of communication.

"Miss if you would just follow me please and we can talk" he repeated again but more firmer this time.

"Can my family come" Emily sniffled in response.

"Of course they can" he replied with a sympathetic smile.

"I'll wait here" Hanna said.

"No Han, come with us." Emily pleaded while turning and grabbing her shiny eyed best friends hand.

The group followed Dr Hunt into one of the conference rooms, an uncomfortable silence surrounding them as the doctor stares down at the charts in front on him

Hanna and Emily took a seat across from the doctor while Pam and Wayne stood behind. Hanna had Emily's hand held firmly in hers while the two parents looked at each other knowingly, well aware of what the were about to hear.

"Well" Emily questioned with tears rolling down her face….. a weird feeling in her stomach from the bad vibe the doctor was giving off.

"Mrs Dilaurentis-Fields, Your wife Alison….She suffered multiple head contusions and massive internal injuries. We tried desperately to get the bleeding under control but it wasn't working. Shortly after that your wife's heart stopped because it was overworking to make up for the lost blood….and despite her best efforts we were unable to revive her. I'm very sorry for your loss."

"NOOOOO" Emily Cried over the doctors words, "NO NO NO NO NO" She continued while her head dropped into Hannas chest, the blonde wrapping her arms around her and breaking into tears herself.

Pam and Wayne looked at each other. Pam broke down pulling the two girls in the chairs in front of her firmly in her arms while Wayne stood there running his hands through his hair, unable to process what he had just heard. He walked over towards his broken-hearted daughter, nudged her and called her name.

"Emily….Emily"

"Hmm?" Emily muttered after been broken from her daydream and brought back to reality.

"Ali's Doctor is on her way over with an update"

Emily sat up straight on the bed and looked over at Hanna and her mom talking indistinctly to each other at the end of the bed. Hanna quickly wiped a stray tear from her cheek when she saw the brunette looking at her while Wayne paced around with his arms crossed staring at the floor, clearly worried about Ali.

Less than 2 hours ago they were happier than they had been in weeks, meeting their new niece, planning summer holidays, and within seconds, their world was turned around.

It was just passing 5pm when a red haired doctor walked towards them, leading all four to their feet eagerly awaiting an update.

"Hello I'm Dr Kepner, your wife's doctor" the red haired woman smiled shaking the families hand.

"Is she okay, did she pull through" Emily interrupted, beginning to feel her body become cold with fear.

"Your wife is stable Mrs Dilaurentis-Fields. She suffered some minor head wounds and massive internal injuries. Now we did get a lot of the bleeding under control but it's the internal bleeding I'm worried about. So we are going to take your wife to surgery immediately and get it under control."

"What about a head CT, did she get one of them?" Pam asked.

"Yes we ordered one of them immediately and it was clear, it mainly just cuts around her face that drew all the blood from that area but fortunately her neuro functions are intact"

"Can I see her?" Emily pleaded

"She's already getting prepped in the OR and I have my colleague Dr Ramirez keeping an eye on her, I just need one of you to sign a few things. Maggie here will sort you out with the paperwork while I attend to your wife." Dr Kepner announced as an older looking nurse walked towards them.

Dr Kepner looked at Emily uneasily. "Now Mrs Dilaurentis-Fields, I know this is hard but you need to prepare yourself for the worst, I know Alison is stable now but as you know surgery is unpredictable and anything can happen in the OR"

Emily felt her pulse begin to race and a cold sweat broke out on her forehead, everything around her went dark and everyone's voices started to fade. Had the doctor really just told her to prepare herself for losing the love of her life.

The nurse, Maggie started talking to Pam while the Hanna and Wayne stood with Emily. The nurse was explaining what all the stuff that needed signing were while Dr Kepner disappeared out of sight.

"Emily…. Em" Hanna called when she noticed how pale and sweaty The brunette had just turned

Emily dropped her head in her hand, slowly leaned forward and started swaying from side to side.

"I have you" Hanna announced while pulling the brunette towards the bed to sit down.

"Head between your legs Emmy...yeah that's it" Wayne said while rubbing his daughters back.

The nurse saw Emily's state and nudged the young nurse that was beside her. "Okay the CT can't wait any longer, Amy paige Dr Grey immediately" She said while making her way over to the pale brunette.

Minutes later Amy paced back into the room with a bottle of cold water for a very pale, overwhelmed Emily.

"Dr Grey is on her way" she explained to the older nurse.

"Feel any better sweetie" pam questioned while rubbing her daughters back.

Emily nodded into the water bottle.

Soon Dr Grey appeared with a younger blonde doctor by her side.

"Okay so Emily we are going to bring you for a head CT immediately. We got your x-ray results back, you have a broken radius, a hairline fracture on your humerus and some heavy bruising near your elbow and collar bone so I can get you some more pain killers for the pain. I'm going to get Dr Wilson here fix up your arm and put a cast on and then stitch up that nasty gash on your forehead after we finish with your CT. Is that okay?" She smiled.

"Yes, thank you" Emily mumbled.

The younger doctor rolled a wheelchair over to the brunette signaling her to sit down.

"I don't need a wheelchair" Emily argued.

"Health and safety missy Dr Wilson sighed giving Emily a sad smile. "We don't want you to fall and damage that arm any more" she chuckled

Emily rolled her eyes at the doctor who looked back at her sarcastically with her hand to her heart pretending to be hurt at the brunettes gesture. Emily simply ignored the doctor and thought of what her wife would do in this situation, giving the doctor that famous dilaurentis glare or biting back with some bitchy comments.

"If you'd like to follow me to the surgical waiting room where you can wait for updates on Alison. One of you can stay here with Emily when she gets the CT and while Dr wilson fixes her up." Dr grey explained to the group in front of her.

"I'll wait with Em" Hanna called out. "If ye would like"

"That would be perfect Hanna, thank you" Pam said while rubbing the blondes shoulder.

Hanna smiled at the older woman and began walking towards her brunette friend in the wheelchair.

* * *

"Hey Spence, it's me" Hanna said to her friend on the other side of the phone as she patiently waited outside the CT room for Emily.

"Any news" the brunette blurted

"Emily's just gone in for a head CT now. She…" hanna trailed off with a sigh. "She has broken bones in her arm so she must get a cast and get her head stitched up"

"Oh my god" Soencer whispered. "What about Alison...is she okay?"

"Ali...Alis in surgery. She had internal bleeding or something like that...It didn't sound too good Spence" Hanna breathed. "You should come over here, the doctor told Emily to prepare for the worst and if the worst does come were all going to need to be here for her"

"Oh my god" Spencer sighed, her voice cracking. "Do you know what happened?"

"No, Emily's not really saying much so"

Spencer took a deep breath. "Did you tell Aria?"

"Not yet" Hanna answered. "This is supposed to be one of the happiest days of her life, I mean, should we even tell her?"

"We have to Han, what if…. god forbid...something does happen to Ali, she'd never forgive us for not telling her." Spencer stated. "Look, ill call Ezra before I come over, he can decide what to do, it can be him who takes the heat from Aria"

"Okay" Hanna breathed out, dropping her head in her hand. "You should have seen Pam and Wayne when they got the call, and when we got here Emily was just...covered in blood, I mean I was only talking to Alison this morning about the future and now she might not have one" Hanna exclaimed while choking back tears. Trying her hardest to stop her pregnancy hormones from taking over her body and spinning her into a complete panic attack.

"Hanna don't think like that. Alison's is the most resilient person we know…..she's not going anywhere. She can't Okay...she won't" Spencer tried to calm her down because the last thing Emily needed right now was to see Hanna having a breakdown.

"What about Jason and Ken, should we tell them?" Hanna asked after taking a few breaths and gathering herself.

"I...I don't know…Ali hasn't talked to her father in years, and I don't think her and jason are on the best of terms either" Spencer stated

"Still… I mean… they deserve to know dont they"

"I'll call Jason" Spencer blurted out with a sigh.

"Are you sure?" Hanna asked, internally hoping the brunette would say she was because if Spencer wasn't going to do it...no one else was.

"Yeah, I'll call him and he can deal with his father, and Ezra can tell Aria" Spencer told the blonde. "Fuck i cant believe this is happening, I mean how can such a happy day turn into this shit"

"I know" hanna mumbled

"I'll be over as soon as I can. Keep me updated okay"

"Okay….Oh and Spencer, bring over something comfortable for Em to change into" the blonde finished before she hung up the phone and dropped her head against the wall.

"Please be okay Ali, please be okay" She whispered to herself.

"Everything's clear" Dr Wilson announced as she wheeled Emily out of the CT Room about 5 minuted later.

Hanna let out a deep sigh of relief and trailed over to the brunette. "That's good, isn't it Em?"

"What?" Emily asked.

"Your results...there good"

"Ohh...Yeah" the brunette sighed.

There was silence between the three women as they made their way to the procedure room just down the hall.

"Ok so this might hurt a little but I've given you something for the pain" Dr Wilson chirped as she gathered her supplies.

The doctor began working on Emily's arm when Hanna made her way over to sit next to her best friend.

"It all happened so fast" Emily whispered, pinching the bridge of her nose in an attempt to stop any more tears spilling out. "The car, it just came out of nowhere" she continued, her voice raspy from crying. "What If She dies, what if she dies in surgery" the brunette choked, realising her method of pinching her nose to prevent the tears was unsuccessful as she felt the hot liquid trickling down her cheeks.

"Em this is Alison we're talking about. She's the most resilient person I know…she'll pull through, she will be okay" Hanna Repeated Spencer's words from earlier, pushing a strand of brunette hair behind her friends ear and hoping she hid the uneasiness in her voice because she knows she can't promise that.

"I've took so much for granted the past few months. We were just arguing all the time and I couldn't just accept the fact that we weren't going to have children, I just kept pushing her and pushing her and fighting with her all the time. We've been so distant and I didn't appreciate her as much as I should have….and now I might lose her for good"

"You won't lose her Em, don't think that way. Ali wouldn't dream of leaving you here alone. And that stuff happens in every relationship, people have different opinions and rough patches but that's what makes relationships stronger" Hanna consoled with a smile.

"And it was me that brought it up…. every time. Me that stormed out and got drunk and treated her like rubbish….every time" Emily shouted, the sadness in her voice turning into anger.

"And you will have plenty of time to talk about it and fight about it once Ali wakes up" the blonde chuckled trying to calm Emily and prevent her from breaking down. "Because she is going to wake up Em, I know it."

Hanna knew she shouldn't be promising things that were way out of her reach but she did anyway. She knew Alison was strong and would fight as hard as she could to stay alive and be there for her wife and friends.

"Okay so that looks good" Dr Wilson announced as she tied the last stitch on Emily's forehead. "I'm just going to put some dressing on it and you should be good to go"

A little while later the girls made their way down to the waiting room where Spencer and Caleb were sitting with Emily's parents.

"Em" Spencer called as she launched forward and took her friend carefully in her arms.

"Any news? Has the doctor told you anything yet?" Emily asked over the brunettes shoulder.

"Nothing so far" Pam answered from her seat.

"But that's good Emmy, that means there still working on her" he reassured his daughter with a soft smile.

Emily splashed cold water over her face and ran her fingers through her hair before making her way back into the bathroom stall to get changed. She managed to pull the oversized jumper over her head and pull up her leggings successfully, although the whole task was extremely difficult with the full arm cast on her right arm. She picked up the blood-stained clothes on the floor, wincing before shoving them into the bottom of the bag Spencer had given to her. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, examining the stitches and cuts around her face before making her way back to the waiting room to wait for Alison.

Time passed slowly and the brunette sat there for what seemed like hours. She couldn't shake the sick feeling in her stomach. She looked around her. Caleb and her dad had gone out for air, Pam was on her phone and Hanna and Spencer were huddled on the chair, a jacket thrown over a sleeping Hanna and an energy bar being consumed by an over-caffeinated Spencer.

Emily stood up to stretch her body. She fixed the sling around her arm and looked down at the cast that started at her fingers and ended at her shoulder. She tried to ignore the throbbing sensation that shot through her arm when she began moving it. She looked around her and noticed how dark it had gotten outside.

"What time is it" She mumbled to her mother as she began making her way over to her.

"Just after eleven" Pam answered, gently squeezing the brunettes good arm and giving her a soft smile.

"Why haven't they updated us yet, this is taking forever" She exclaimed taking a seat next to her mother.

"There probably just busy working on Alison sweetie…. I'm sure it shouldn't be too long more"

"Here you go" Wayne called out, handing a cup of coffee to Emily, who took it gratefully. She sat next to her parents and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of the hot liquid passing down her throat

"Mrs Dilaurentis-Fields" came a familiar voice from behind the brunette.

"Yes" Emily shot up, as did everyone else around her.

"Everything went well, Alison is fine" dr Kepner smiled before she was bombarded with questions.

"Oh thank god" Emily sighed in relief, running her fingers through her ruffled brunette hair.

"Now she's just out of surgery, she had a lot of internal bleeding and some internal injuries so it's going to be a long recovery but she should be fine"

Sighs of relief were heard around and Emily smiled into her parents arms, tears of joy replacing the tears of fear from earlier.

"I'll show you to her room" The doctor smiled. "She's still asleep and it might be a while before she wakes up, but your welcome to wait by her bedside"

They reached the room and the first thing Emily noticed was the machines and the wires...wires everywhere. A steady beeping filled the room which the brunette took comfort in because she knew that was her wife's heart beating steadily.

Emily walked over to her wife's side and held her hand tightly. The blondes hair was ruffled and her lips cracked dry. She looked down at the blonde who, even covered with wires and bandages was still breathtakingly beautiful.

"I love you so much" she murmured into the kiss she placed on her forehead. She reached her hand down near Ali's face and ran her fingers through her ruffled hair, her hand trailing back down into the blondes, interlocking their fingers and placing a kiss on Ali's while quiet conversation began between Pam, Wayne and Dr Kepner.

She sat on the chair next to Ali's bed, staring at her wife and silently promising that once the blonde woke up she would do everything in her power to make up for the past few months. She smiled at the thought of her and Alison spending the rest of their lives together, loving each other eternally. She looked at the rings on her finger, the promise ring Ali had given her their first Christmas as a couple standing out because that is exactly what Ali said when she gave her that ring, that they would love eachother eternally. It is exactly what the couple have been doing the past 10 years and Emily couldn't wait to continue her journey in life with the blonde.

The night passed with no signs of Alison waking up. Spencer Hanna Pam and Wayne stayed in the waiting room giving Emily some time with her wife, while Caleb went home to get some sleep for work the next day.

Hanna had managed to get their new employee Sara to open the boutique the next day so she was free to stay at the hospital as long as she needed to.

It was passing 3am when Emily was startled from her short sleep by a loud bang, shooting up from her stop and snapping her eyes open she looked around the room, the sudden realisation of where she was setting back in.

"Oops sorry didn't mean to wake you" the woman apologised as she knelt down and picked up her clipboard. "I'm Alison's nurse" She said as she held up her ID badge to show the brunette

"How's she doing" Emily rasped, sitting up straight and blinking away the sleep in her eyes.

"As good as can be expected" the nurse smiled in response.

"Please wake up" Emily whispered into their interlocking fingers once the nurse was out of sight.

The brunette resumed her position from earlier, resting her head on the corner of the bed and closing her eyes, allowing her mind to drown her in all the memories of her and Alison. Her eyes opened quickly when she felt a gentle squeeze on her hand.

"Alison" She called as she lifted her head quickly and nudged the blonde, only to be met by silence from her sleeping wife. "Come on babe that's it wake up" she encouraged her wife.

Alison could hear her wife talking and she wanted to respond, she really did but her body wasn't allowing her, it was like she was paralysed.

Just as Emily was about to put her head back on the corner of the bed she heard a quiet mumble from the blonde.

"Alison" she exclaimed, waiting for a response from the blonde but only met by silence once again.

Emily rested her elbow on the bed and leaned her face in her hand. She breathed in deeply realising her lack of sleep might actually be making her imagine things.

The blondes blue eyes fluttered open and she immediately caught sight of her wife.

"Em..Emily" Ali rasped, her voice hoarse from sleep.

"Alison" Emily breathed, her head shooting up from her hand. She Quickly took a seat on the corner of the bed when blue eyes met brown.

"I thought I lost you" she sighed while rubbing her hand down the blondes face, cupping her cheeks and leaning in to place a kiss on her wife's lips.

"Your not getting rid of me that easy" Ali mumbled resulting in a chuckle from the brunette.

"I love you" Emily beamed pulling the blonde in for a hug.

"Love you more" Ali croaked into her wife's neck, tears falling down her cheeks.

After Ali's doctor examined her and all the nurses cleared out of Alison's room , Pam, Wayne, Spencer and Hanna all made their way in to see Alison. It was still really early, barely 4am so they didn't spend much time in there, they quickly made there way back to the waiting room allowing the blonde and the brunette to get some rest.

The room eventually cleared out, giving Ali and Emily time to themselves.

"Ali, I'm so sorry I've been like this over the past few weeks." Emily sighed after a few minutes of comfortable silence.

"I'm sorry too" Ali stated softly while carefully examining the brunettes wounds, her hand moving from the brunettes head to her cast, her mind still slowly processing the events of today. "Emily...your arm...your head"

"I'm fine babe" the brunette smiled, grabbing Ali's hands in her own. "You almost died…..I took so much for granted lately, I focused on what I wanted more than what I have." She paused and placed her hand on Ali's cheek, moving closer and closer to the blonde lips with every breath "I'm so happy I get to spend the rest of my life with you, living life to the fullest….just me and you" She finished, her lips now inches away from the blondes.

"No" Ali interrupted, her gaze moving from the brunettes lips to her eyes.

"What?" Emily exclaimed with a raised eyebrow and a racing heart. Increasing the distance between the two.

"Babies, what about babies?" Ali questioned with a wide smile.

"You want babies" Emily gasped, taken completely by surprise at the blondes words.

"Yes, I want babies" Ali smiled, pushing a strand of hair behind her wife's ear. "All kinds of babies" She continued, her eyes scanning over every inch of the brunettes beautiful face. "I've thought if this so much over the past few weeks but kept second guessing my decision. I've realised today that life is a gift, that anything can happen and in seconds that gift can be taken away, so I don't want to waste anymore time…...I want babies, I want your babies Em" the blonde chuckled, giving herself a moment to catch her breath. "Seeing Jane made me realise exactly how much I want a baby with you, how much I want a mini Emily running around the house. I have wanted children all my life, I just knew I wasn't cut out to be a mother….especially if i turned out to be anything like mine was so I talked myself out of it. But you'll be there, you'll be a great mum… you'll be an amazing mum." The blonde smiled, swallowing the lump in her throat, her hands falling back into the brunettes. She was so grateful she had Emily by her side, and the thought of starting a family with the love of her life made her heart fill with joy and gratitude.

Emily's smile widened once Ali finished talking. "Are you sure about this" she questioned, her heart racing with anticipation

"I'm more than sure" Ali smiled, finally closing the distance between the two with a kiss.

Emily pulled away from the kiss and wrapped her arms around her wife, her fingers intertwined in the blondes locks. "Let's give you time to heal first okay... baby steps."

"Baby steps" Ali repeated with closed eyes in the brunettes loving arms.


	5. Thanksgiving hangovers

**This chapter is set on Thanksgiving a year and a half after the accident. It starts off fluffy so earns an m rating. Hope you enjoy this long chapter xx**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Thanksgiving Hangovers**

Emily lay wide awake in bed on a Thursday morning, enjoying the sound of the birds chirping in the garden while the morning sun peeked through the gap in the curtains. She moved closer to the blonde, wrapping her arms around her tightly and began placing open mouthed kissed on the back of her wife's neck.

"Happy Thanksgiving" the blonde rasped out as she rolled over to face her wife.

The blonde and brunettes lips met in a heartfelt kiss. It had been a tough road of recovery after the after the accident, but here they were a year and a half later, both fully healed, healthy and happier than ever.

"You want me to show you how thankful I am" the blonde whispered lustfully into Emily's face.

"Hmmm" Emily mumbled with closed eyes, biting down on her bottom lip.

Ali pushes her face against her wife's, meeting their lips in a heated kiss

The blonde went to sit up, Emily following her, making sure their lips remained in contact. The brunette slid her fingers into the blondes hair while Ali pulled her wife closer running her hands up her tanned back, feeling her wife's muscles ripple under her skin. Emily began to feel Ali tugging on the hem of her oversized tshirt and so she slowly raised her hands, parting their lips just long enough for Ali to slide the top off her and toss it on the bedroom floor. Ali smiled back into the kiss, grateful that Emily had absolutely nothing else on underneath.

Emily lay down on her back and pulled the blonde on top of her. They continued their heated kiss until Ali pulled away desperately ripping off her own t-shirt and throwing it to the side and like her wife, she was completely naked underneath.

The blonde grinned down at the brunette and shivered at her beauty before lacing her fingers in Emily's and pinning them above her head. The blonde began placing open mouthed kisses down the brunettes body before teasing a nipple with her tongue and kissing down as far as the brunettes belly button, very slowly making her way down to Emily's centre.

"Ali...Don't tease" Emily breathlessly pleaded with an arched back.

Ali smiled at Emily's words. She loved teasing her wife. The blonde let her mouth make its way back up to her wife's breasts while a restless Emily underneath her shivered in anticipation. The brunette managed to get her hands free and gently tackled Ali onto her back. She cupped the blondes face in her hands groaning into the kiss while Ali tangled her fingers in her wifes hair. She trailed her fingers down her wifes back, her hands landing on the brunettes toned abs before making their way up to cup Emily's breasts. Ali could feel the goosebumps on her wifes skin and the contact lead Emily to release a loud moan against Alis face, the blonde feeling as if she could fall apart from that sound alone.

Alison pushed Emily over to the side and made herself comfortable, swinging her leg over the brunettes hip. Emily placed her hand on Ali's thigh gently clenching it with her nails, her hand slowly trailing up to the blondes backside.

"It's getting big" she smiled into the her wife's face while squeezing the blondes backside with one hand a twirling her blond locks with the other.

"Guess what else is getting big" Ali lustfully whispered, placing Emily's hand firmly onto her breasts. The brunette smiled into her wifes lips and the two continued their passionate kiss. Emily's hand had just began exploring Alison's centre when a continuous ringing of the doorbell broke the two from their moment.

"Ignore it" Emily breathed as she continued circling Alis clit with her finger. Alison moaned loudly into her wifes lips as the bell continued ringing.

"What if it's important" Ali panted allowing, another small moan to escape her lips.

"They'll ring" Emily breathed out.

The girls carried on getting lost in each others touch but the constant ringing of the doorbell was becoming too much

"Fuck sake" Emily groaned as she jumped up and grabbed Alis t-shirt, slipping it over her head and taking a pyjamas pants from the drawer.

"Hurry up" Ali rasped from the bed where she lay breathlessly with her arm thrown over her head.

* * *

"Oh thank god you answered" Hanna breathed in relief with closed eyes from the other side of the door.

"This better be important" Emily rasped breathlessly with a flushed face.

Hanna looked at her distracted friend who couldn't take her eyes of the stairs, her hair was ruffled and her nostrils were flaring as she tried to control her breathing. "Sorry Ali" she shouted up the stairs as she made her way into the living room of the Dilaurentis-fields house.

"Sorry for what?" Emily questioned.

"Interrupting you morning workout" Hanna laughed

Emily's face turned red with embarrassment as she closed the front door.

"Hey han" Ali rasped as she made her way down the stairs, one of Emily's oversized RHS coach t-shirts covering her body.

"Jesus...you're just as bad" Hanna laughed as she looked at the Flushed, ruffle haired blonde making their way towards them.

"Well Sorry for disturbing...whatever was going on up there" Hanna smirked, holding her hands up in front of her.

"What do you mean?" the brunette blushed, her face turning red in embarrassment "We were sleeping"

"Don't deny Em, No one gets that breathless from running down the stairs, not even me" hanna smirked. "You got laid" She grinned, gently smacking Emily arm.

"Actually, I did" Ali admitted, puckering her lips together. "Well I almost did" she sighed with a hungry glare directed to her wife.

Emily eyed Ali, silently telling her to shut up. The blonde shook her head and smiled at Hanna, the two of them quietly laughing to each other. She loved when people got sassy with her, because she was always able to throw it right back, although her wife didn't always appreciate what she had to say

"Okay enough of this I have real problems here" the blonde exclaimed trying to hide the smirk on her face.

"What's wrong...jealous of our sex life" The ruffled haired blonde teased as she made her way into the kitchen.

"Seriously Ali" Hanna paused, taking a deep breath before saying what she was about to say. "I burned the turkey"

"You what?" Ali shouted.

"I know...Spencer is going to kill me...I convince her to let me host Thanksgiving dinner and I burn the fucking Turkey"

"How Hanna, I told you exactly what to do" Emily interrupted with wide eyes.

"Yes… you did….Which is why you're going to help me tell Spencer."

"I'm not telling Spencer" Emily laughed. "I gave you perfect instructions HOW NOT TO BURN A TURKEY"

"Hanna" Ali smirked, the grin on Hannas face giving away the fact that the blonde wasn't telling the whole truth.

"What" Hanna screeched, allowing a few moments of silence fall over the group until she sighed and rolled her eyes. "Okay...So I cooked the the turkey last night, it was perfect but it wasn't even crispy or golden or anything like that…..so I decided to put it back in the oven to tan it up a bit, you know make it look like the ones in the movies…..And well when it wasn't crisping I turned the heat up and it just like…..disintegrated."

"How bad is it" Ali asked, hands on her hip.

"Bad" Hanna sighed, rubbing her temple with her hand. "Caleb has been out all morning looking for a new one but there sold out...everywhere"

"What if maybe you like...cut the burned part off?" Emily suggested. "It could just be the outside that's burned"

"Ehmm no...it's covered in foam from the fire extinguisher" Hanna breathed out, chewing her fingernails nervously.

"So you didn't just burn the turkey you caught it on fire" Ali grinned, making her way over to the coffee machine and turning it on while Emily and Hanna took a seat at the kitchen island.

"Yes so we need to tell Spencer" Hanna exclaimed.

"You need to tell Spencer" Ali laughed as she filled the machine with water.

"She's going to freak out...I've ruined thanksgiving" the blonde sighed, dropping her head on the island and letting out a loud groan.

Emily picked up her phone and began dialing Spencers number since it didn't look like Hanna was going to do it voluntarily. The phone rang throgh and Spencer answered almost immediately.

"Hey Spence, it Emily"

"Yeah I have caller ID I know who you are" Spencer replied over Noah's excited squeals in the background. "Noah go up to daddy and get ready" she called after her son before allowing Emily to continue.

"Soooo you wouldn't happen to have a turkey lying around would you?" Emily questioned.

"Why do you want a turkey? Isin't Hanna taking care of that?"

"See that's the problem" Emily sighed. "She burned it"

Spencer laughed into the phone and Emily just stood there, staring at Hanna and Ali, both of who were looking at her expectantly.

"I knew she would mess something up. Is she there with you?"

"Yeah she is" Emily answered.

"Put her onto me" Spencer sighed.

Hanna pushed the phone away when Emily tried handing it to her. The brunette gave the blonde her best impression of the Dilaurentis glare, leading Hanna to hold up her hands in defeat and grab the phone with a sigh.

Emily looked over to Ali smiling at her accomplishment. Ali tried her best to smile back but instead, held her hand up the her mouth and ran to the bathroom leading a concerned Emily to follow in soon after.

Ali leaned over the bowl, vomiting up the contents of last nights chinese takeaway while her wife held back her hair and rubbed circles on her back. A few minutes later hanna popped her head around the door, scrunching her nose at the scene in front of her.

"I'll be in the kitchen" she dramatically mouthed to her brunette friend who nodded in response after a loud gag was heard from Ali.

"Okay so good news...Spencer knew I would mess something up so she got a turkey the other day. Could you believe she thought that less of me, she cooked it and everything last night, I mean..." Hanna trailed off with a soft chuckle, rolling her eyes to Emily who was pouring out two cups of coffee.

"Of course she did" Emily smirked, shaking her head because that was typical spencer behaviour.

"hat's wrong with Ali?"Hanna questioned with a grateful smile as she took the cup from the brunette.

'Ehmm...I think she's coming down with something' Emily sighed as she took a seat across from Hanna, her coffee cup in front of her lips as she blew it cool.

Hanna and Emily were quietly talking amongst eachother when Ali made her way back into the kitchen.

'You okay' Emily asked, rubing her hand along her wifes back as she took a seat next to her.

'Fine' Ali smiled as she slid Emily's coffee cup towards her, grabbing it in her hands and sniffing it before taking a small sip, enjoying the feeling of the hot liquid flowing down her throat. Emily could only smile at her wife, how beautiful she looked with her ruffled hair and raspy voice. She really did master the bed head look.

'Okay so i'm going to get home to ma babies, Caleb is going to kill me I have him out turkey hunting since 7 this morning,' Hanna laughed.

'See you at around three' Emily smiled as she walked the blonde to the door.

'Don't be late' Hanna called back as she made her way down the steps, throwing on her beige Michael Kors sunglasses to block out the strong morning sun.

'Where were we' Ali breathed as she slammed her wife against the closed front door, taking her into a heated kiss which took Emily by surprise, she loved this side of Ali. Seconds later they were straddling in eachothers arms and gripping onto each others bodies as they made their way upstairs to their bedroom where they resumed their morning shenanigans.

* * *

Emily walked in the door from her morning run a little after 10am, her face dripping with sweat as she made her way to the refridgerator and pulled out a bottle of water.

'Hey babe' Emily panted, pulling her earphones out of her ear and twisting open her bottle of water.

'How was your run' Ali asked from her seat at the island where she was scrolling through her laptop, stuffing her face with pickles and mustard.

'Good' Emily replied with a furrowed brows when she saw what her wife was eating. 'Ali that's disgusting' she sighed, making her was over to the counter where she put a slice of bread into the toaster.

'Don't knock it till you try it' Ali chuckled as she picked up another pickle, dolloped it with mustard and stuffed it into her mouth before licking her fingers in satisfaction.

'Yeah….I'm not trying that' the brunette smiled as she pulled a butterknife out of the drawer.

'Huuuuuuu' Ali gasped, her eyes sparkling at the laptop infront of her.

'What?' Emily asked.

Ali looked up at the brunette with a smile and turned up the song that way playing on her laptop. Emily returned the smile as the lyrics of the song they danced to for their first dance as a married couple filled the room bringing back memories of that very special night a few years ago.

XXXXXXXXXX

 _'Now if everyone could clear the dance floor and make way for the newly-weds' the DJ announced as Alison and Emily made their way to the dance floor for their first dance._

 _Alison grabbed Emily's hand and directed her to the middle of the floor as their wedding singer began singing. They danced their first dance to 'Can't help falling in love with you' by Elvis presley._

 _Wise men say_

 _Only fools rush in_

 _But I can't help falling in love with you…._

 _The song continued while the couple danced. Emily had her hands on Alis hips, while Ali hand hers on her wifes shoulders. The brunette pulled the blonde in closer, there foreheads touching, both of them gazing into eachothers eyes._

 _Like a river flows_

 _Surely to the sea_

 _Darling, so it goes_

 _Some things are meant to be…._

 _'You look so beautiful' Ali whispered into her wife's face, pulling her in closer._

 _'So are you...Wifey' Emily grinned, tightening her grip on the blondes hips._

 _Ali smiled back at placing a kiss on her wifes lips. She stared into the brunettes eyes, her brown orbs were shiny with unshed tears, and Ali had to admit, the lump in her throat was becoming impossible to swallow._

 _Take my hand_

 _Take my whole life, too_

 _For i can't help falling in love with you_

 _For i can't help falling in love with you._

 _The song finished with Emily cupping the blondes cheeks and placing a kiss on her lips._

 _The two walked off stage hand in hand, everyone around then clapping and cheering._

 _'You two..are just.. perfect together' Spencer gushed, pulling her best friends in for a hug._

 _The girls had an outdoor reception in a huge wedding tent, it was a beautiful mild night in January. Emily and Alison walked around, greeting everyone, thanking them for coming before making their way over to their group of friends, gratefully accepting a glass of wine from Aria._

 _'You two are absolutely stunning' Hanna smiled, admiring her best friends in their beautiful white dresses._

 _Emily wore a sexy strapless dress that hugged her curves in all the right places, while Ali wore a beautiful, backless, satin v-neck dress that trailed out in the end._

 _It was a few hours into the night, some people had gone back to their rooms in the hotel and everyone else was either drunk or tipsy. Some people were dancing, others were sitting. The girls were doing a bit of both._

 _'Wooooooooo' Emily breathlessly cheered as her and Hanna made their way back from the dance floor after dancing to one of their favourite songs 'intoxicated'._

 _Hanna shot back one of the tequila shots in front of her, unsure of who actually owned it while Emily took a large gulp of Alis margarita._

 _'Where is everyone' Hanna questioned to the four girls in front of her.'Where's my lover boy' she announced as she made her way over to her seat._

 _'Probably out for air' Spencer slurred into her wine glass._

 _'Where in a tent in the middle of a field how much more air do they need' Emily drunkenly quipped._

 _'Who cares' Hanna shouted 'I love this song' she finished shooting back up from her seat and pulling all four girls back ut onto the dance floor._

 _The girls danced to "me too" by Meghan trainor and after the song, they all made their way up to the bar to get drinks._

 _'What can I get you ladies' the man behind the bar chirped._

 _'I'll have sex on the beach' hanna winked, biting her bottom lip and causing the young bartender to blush._

 _'Make that two' Aria piped up from the bar stool where she was fanning herself down with cocktail menu completely lost in her thoughts._

 _The man made all the girls their desired drinks and they happily made their way back to their seats._

 _'So… we have a surprise for you' came a drunk Ezra's voice as he stumbled towards the table a few minutes later._

 _'Where have you been' Spencer jabbered to Toby who walked in behind with Caleb._

 _The three men looked at each other and laughed._

 _'Caleb get a few beers would ya' Toby slurred._

 _After persuading the girls to follow them outside the group walked out into the darkness to Toby's truck, where a young man was sitting on the bonnet fiddling with a lighter in his hand._

 _'Where's my money' he shouted to the three men, pulling the cigarette out of his mouth and holding it between his fingers._

 _'Shit sorry' Ezra laughed, taking out his wallet and handing the teen a 20 dollar bill._

 _'Why are u giving him money' Aria questioned, furrowing her eyebrows and looking at the man like he had three heads._

 _'He drove us to the surprise and helped us dig it up' Caleb boasted while sipping his beer, Ignoring the confused looks he was getting from the five girls_

 _'Dig it up' Spencer exclaimed with wide eyes._

 _'Hmm hmm' Ezra nodded with a smile as the teen opened the trunk of Toby's truck._

 _'No way' Emily yelled when she saw what the surprise was._

 _'Oh my god' Ali gushed, the smile on her face reaching her ears._

 _'Why the fuck do you have the kissing rock in the back of your truck Toby' Hanna shrieked, stumbling as she tried to make her way closer to see it._

 _'It's a present for the newly-weds' Toby cheered with his hands in the air._

 _'You guys, thank you' Ali chuckled with a heartfelt smile on her face._

 _Emily stood there gobsmacked, this was the best wedding surprise anyone could have given them. The kissing rock was so special to the couple. It's where the girls had wrote their initials with spraypaint those many years ago, it's we're Alison confessed her love for Emily, it's where the two had a slept together one night after Hannas birthday party when they were drunk off their heads and couldn't find their way home, it's where the girls sometimes went, just to clear their heads and most importantly, it's where Alison proposed to Emily._

XXXXXXXXXX

Alison and Emily both smiled at the memory of their wedding day, the memory of their first dance together to the song that had just finished. Emily Looked out her kitchen window and there it was, the infamous kissing rock in the corner of their back garden.

* * *

The girls were the first to walk through the door of the Rivers household a little while later, figuring instead of waiting around at home and doing nothing, they could Help Hanna and Caleb prepare the dinner.

'Happy thanksgiving' Emily announced over the baby screams to the blonde and her husband as they made their into the kitchen.

'I know we're early but we said we would give you a hand' Ali called out as she placed two bottles of wine onto the kitchen table while Emily emptied the bag with the trays of desserts and food her and Ali had made for the dinner.

'Yes please do' Caleb begged with a soft chuckle from his position at the cooker.

'My poor babies teething' Hanna sighed, rocking back and fourth with her crying daughter in her arms.

'Shit' Caleb shouted as he quickly pulled his finger away from the hot pot.

'Babe...language' Hanna yelled to her husband as she blocked her babies ears.

'Sorry' Caleb sighed, running his finger under the cold tap before making his way back over to the cooker.

Ali placed her bag and jacket in the corner of the room, pulled up her sleeves and walking over to the sink to wash her hands before helping Caleb with the cooking.

'Shhhhhhh, it's okay, it's okay' Emily whispered to the 10 month old, taking her from her mothers arms and making an attempt to soothe the crying baby.

The blonde haired baby settled almost immediately, earning a defeated glare from Hanna, a chuckle from Caleb and a smile from her wife.

'I've been trying to calm her the past 20 minutes' Hanna groaned, dropping her head back in defeat.

'Emily just has a gift for soothing screaming babies' Ali grinned as she drained the water from the pot of carrots at the sink.

'Thank god for that' Caleb smiled as he stirred the pot of gravy.

Emily bobbed into the living room with her niece on her hip while Alison, Hanna and Caleb worked in the kitchen. She sat down on the living room chair with the blonde haired baby resting on her knee, biting down on her teething ring as she looked around her.

'Your such a cutie Evie Rivers' Emily gushed as she placed a kiss on her blabbing nieces forehead.

Minutes later Hanna walked in and sat next to the brunette with a deep exasperated sigh. She looked at her daughter, babbling and squealing on her godmothers knee.

'That kitchen is like a sweat box' Hanna groaned, fanning herself down her hands. She laid back on the chair, shuffling around until she got herself comfortable before she began scrolling through the channels on the tv.

'Em, could you come here please?' Ali shouted from the kitchen.

'Here baby, come to mama' Hanna cooed as she took her daughter from the brunettes hands.

Emily made her way out to the kitchen and helped set the table while Caleb and Ali continued to cook. The Host nowhere in sight.

Less than an hour later everything was prepared and ready to be be heated up later on when everyone arrived.

'Need help with anything' Hanna offered as Emily set the last glass on the table

The three looked at each other and laughed. Hanna had offered to host thanksgiving dinner and the only thing she actually did was catch the turkey on fire and help cut a few vegetables.

Caleb wiped his hands off the towel over his shoulder and smiled at Hanna. 'You...my beautiful wife, can do the washing up' he boasted into the kiss he placed on his wife's forehead, leading Hanna to drop her head and the girls to laugh. 'Now where's my baby' he announced as he made his way into the living room.

Spencer and Toby made their way through the door just over a half an hour later, their hyper 4 year old son racing around them and almost tripping Toby who was holding onto the turkey like his life depended on it.

'Noah, calm down' he shouted after his son as he made his way into the kitchen, storing the turkey safely in the oven.

Aria and Ezra followed in soon after, their brunette daughter being held far out in her father's hands whose face gave the impression that he was about to be sick.

'Shit everywhere' Aria mouthed to the girls before she grabbed her daughter and the diaper bag from Ezra and made her way to the bathroom.

'I'll help you' Ali announced, handing Emily her glass of sparkling water and following after Aria and Jane.

'Where's Evie' Spencer asked.

'She's upstairs asleep, she was up all night teething' Hanna explained with a sigh.

'Oh god, I remember when Noah was teething' Spencer dropped her head back at the memory, as did Hanna and Emily because they all had their moments with a teething Noah, and Hanna had to admit, her nephew was 10 times worse than her daughter is...and hopefully ever will be.

XXXXXXXXXX

 _Aria and Ali sat in the living room of Emily and Ali's house, talking amongst eachother as they waited for Hanna and Spencer to arrive._

 _'So how was Paris' Aria asked as Emily walked towards them with three empty wine glasses in one hand and a bottle of red in the other._

 _'It was...amazing' Emily beamed, making her way over to sit next to her Fiancé._

 _'You two get engaged and then jet off to Paris for two weeks.' Aria grinned._

 _'We had to do something to celebrate my beautiful Fiancé proposing to me' the brunette boasted, catching Ali's hand in hers._

 _Aria admired the beautiful diamond ring on Emily's finger, and then the one on Alis that Emily surprised her with on top of the Eiffel Tower._

 _'So are you two sure your definitally free this weekend' Aria asked, making sure the surprise engagement party Hanna and Pam had planned for them was a go._

 _Ali looked at Emily and the two had a silent conversation._

 _'Yeah' Emily nodded._

 _'We have no plans' Ali finished, filling the wine glasses in front of them._

 _'Okay, good. The girls and I were just thinking maybe a quiet night out?' Aria smield. Although that was an understatement. Hanna and Pam had gone all out for the party. They rented a function room in a bar and invited almost everyone they knew. They even went as far as hiring caterers and a DJ. Hanna and Pam always went all out for parties and had became really close over the years. Emily wasn't surprised if sometimes she went home to her parents house to find her mom and Hanna drinking tea and eating biscuits, gossiping about the colour Shelly down the street decided to paint her house, or the dress Catherine wore to her granddaughters christening._

 _'Sounds good to me' Ali grinned._

 _'Yeah' Emily beamed, she couldn't wait for a well needed night out with her best friends._

 _'Where are the others?' Emily asked as she set her glass back on the coffee table._

 _'There over at Spencer's moms, Noah is very fussy and won't settle for Peter' Aria sighed, peeking out the living room window to the hastings household across the street._

 _About 10 minutes later Spencer and Hanna burst through the door with a screaming seven month old on Hannas shoulder._

 _'Hanna I told you, he's fed and he's changed, its clearly his teeth' Spencer yelled._

 _'Yeah well i'm just saying, try the bottle one more time' Hanna shouted back over Noah's screams._

 _'I'm so sorry guys, he was meant to stay with my dad but he wouldn't settle for him, he rang me panicking a little so I said i'd just take him.' Spencer was completely frazzled as she dug through the diaper bag for a bottle while Noah continued to scream in Hanna's arms._

 _'Spence don't worry about it, he's fine' Emily smiled while standing up from the chair and walking towards Hanna who was bouncing the baby in her arms trying to settle him._

 _Spencr blew out the air for her cheek as the screams from her seven month old got louder. 'You sure about that'_

 _An hour passed and Noah was still restless. The girls passed him around desperately trying to settle him, giving him a bottle, trying to calm him with a pacifier, rubbing teething gel on his gums but nothing was working._

 _Ali and Hanna had given up, two of them sat back on the chair in defeat and filled their glasses to the top with wine._

 _Aria frantically rummaged through the changing bag, holding an assortment of toys in front of her nephew, making silly faces and weird noises while Spencer and Emily passed the baby between them._

 _Nothing was settling the brunette….that was until Emily bounced him on her hip and started dancing around the living room. Sighs of relief were heard from Aria and Spencer when Noahs cries turned into giggles._

 _Noah calmed down and Emily made her way to the kitchen, swaying her nephew in her arms while singing 'hush little baby'. She looked down at her nephew who was slowly closing his eyes while she fed him his bottle. His face was red and his little eyes were swollen from crying. Emily sighed in relief when Noah finally fell asleep . She grinned at her accomplishment and swayed the baby for another few minutes before making her way through the living room to bring her nephew upstairs to the guest room._

 _'Yess' Spencer whispered with her hands on her head as she saw Emily make her way towards the stairs with a sleeping baby in her arms. 'I love you' she mouthed, filling her glass with wine and holding it up in the air before swigging back a large, well needed gulp._

 _'Shit' Hanna whispered, frantically rummaging through her bag to silence her ringing phone._

 _Emily's eyes widened when Noah started to squirm in her arms._

 _'Turn it off' Aria exclaimed with her hands covering her eyes._

 _Hanna quickly declined the call and the four women looked at each other, hoping the noise didn't wake the baby._

 _'Fuck' Hanna grunted over the screams that erupted from the stairs._

 _'Haaaannnnnnnaaa' a tipsy Ali moaned into her glass, slapping her blonde friends shoulder._

 _Hanna looked back at her and the two began laughing hysterically while Spencer and Aria dropped their heads back in defeat._

XXXXXXXXXX

'Well you have all that ahead of you' Hanna smiled at the memories, looking down at Spencer's eight month bump.

'Hopefully this ones easier than Noah was' the brunette grinned, rubbing circles around her stomach as the three made their way to the kitchen.

* * *

'I'll have to put her in the bath Ali there's shit everywhere' Aria announced as she tried wiping the squirming and babbling one and a half year old clean.

'Oh my god, it's on my hand' Ali gagged as she picked up Jane's diaper and clothes from the floor.

'You stinky little girl' Aria squealed to her dughter, smiling when little giggle erupted from her mouth.

Ali wrinkled her nose in disguist as she looked over the petite brunettes shoulder. 'How is it on her ear'

'Because she stuck her hand in her diaper and wiped it on her face' Aria laughed.

Ali gagged with her hand to her mouth, her watery eyes closed as she took a few deep breaths trying to gather herself. She began filling the bathtub with warm water and then reached up and opened the bathroom window wide. They placed Jane in the bubbly water and Ali watched the excitement fill her nieces face as she splashed water everywhere.

Looking down at Jane, Ali couldn't wait until she became a mother. Sure she didn't think that a while ago when she was wiping baby shit from her hands but still, she couldn't wait.

* * *

'Noah, Sit down… come on, everyone else is' Toby pleaded to his overactive son.

Noah shot a look at his dad and ran towards the kitchen giggling.

'Noah, stop running' Spencer called to the little brunette, her voice slightly raised.

'Okay Mommy' he smiled, not wanting to get on the wrong side of his heavily pregnant mother.

Emily looked at her hyperactive nephew and smiled. 'Does he have a jacket with him'

'Yeah, it's in the car. Why?' Spencer looked on curiously.

'I'll bring him outside to kick a ball around for a while, let out a bit of energy'

'Thanks Em that would be great. Toby took him to my moms this morning and she gave him a load of cake so he's kind of on a sugar high at the moment' Spencer smiled as she waddled over to her bag to get her car keys.

Emily swigged back the last of the wine in her glass and called her nephew over. 'Noah Come here'.

'Yeah aunt Em' he replied, looking questionably at his aunt.

'Wanna play outside for a while' the swim coach asked with a raised eyebrow, knowing very well what his answer will be.

'Yess' he squealed with excitement.

'Come on, let's go get your jacket in the car' Emily announced, holding Noah's hand while they made their way towards the front door.

'Those two would make such good parents' Hanna gushed when the brunette and her nephew were out of sight.

'I wonder when they'll start popping out babies' Spencer smiled, taking a sip of her bottle of sparkling water.

The girls shot their heads to the kitchen counter when the sound of baby cries erupted from the monitor. 'I'll get her' Caleb called out from his position in front of the fridge, placing his beer bottle on the counter and making his way upstairs to fetch his beloved daughter

* * *

'Wow Han you really did outdo yourself' Spencer exclaimed as she took a seat at the table admiring the beautiful spread in front of her. 'Besides the turkey incident' she finished with a cheeky grin, earning a joking glare from Hanna.

Hanna looked around at her friends, enjoying the compliments that were rolling her way while Caleb and Ali just looked at each other, shaking their heads and smiling.

'Oh my god these potatoes are amazing' Aria gushed with her hand to her mouth.

'Thanks, I added….'

'Ali made them' Caleb interjected before Hanna could finish.

'I added butter and milk to make them extra creamy' Ali chuckled while spooning the potatoes onto her plate. Hanna looked at her friend with disgust as she pulled a jar of pickles out of her bag and laid them on her plate before smothering them in gravy.

'How did you make the gravy Han? It's so tasty' Ezra added, pulling Hanna from her disgusted gaze on the blondes plate of food.

Well I added turkey fat, you know to give it a bit of flavour' Hanna beamed as she explained how Caleb made the gravy.

Caleb could only laugh at his wife. Him and Ali had done all the cooking while she sat in the living room watching TV and "entertaining" their sleeping daughter.

'Noah eat up your broccoli love' Spencer called to her son who was sitting on his own seat between her and Toby.

Toby reached across and began cutting up Noah's food. Him and Spencer looked at each other wide-eyed when Noah shoved the broccoli in his mouth and ate it without gagging or spitting it out.

'Hanna you need to show me how you made that broccoli, we can never get him to eat his greens at home' Spencer joked.

'Ya no problem babe' Hanna smiled. sipping her wine and enjoying how her friend believed she had cooked all the food.

'Jane come here princess, come to daddy' Ezra called to his daughter putting his hand out for her to walk over to him.

'Good girl' he smiled while picking the brunette up.

'Here comes the aeroplane….zoooooom' He smiled as he continued feeding Jane. The little girl had her daddy wrapped around her finger and Ali smiled at the sight before her eyes.

Jane took the spoon of food with a smile and began giggling and clapping her hands.

'More' she yelled with her mouth wide open as another spoonful of food made its way towards her.

Evie was restless in her playpen and the conversation around the table was interrupted by a loud cry.

'I'll get her' Emily smiled, making her way over to pick up her niece.

'There you are… good girl you wanna come over to the big girls table?' She cooed to the ten month old version of Hanna.

Emily walked over to the table and sat next to her wife, bouncing Evie on her knee who had immediately settled once she picked her up. She leaned forward an scooped a spoon of potatoes into her mouth before her attention fell back onto her blabbing niece.

Hanna looked at her daughter and began telling the group how Emily had managed to settle Evie immediately well ago after she tried for 20 minutes.

'She has a gift with children… they love her' Spencer added.

Ali and Emily smiled at each other. The blonde caught the brunettes hand in hers, allowing a silent tear flow down her cheek. She loved how good Emily was with children, she loved watching her wife interract with her nieces and nephew.

'Everything okay Ali' Aria asked before the blonde quickly wiped the tear from her cheek.

'Yeah I'm fine' She smiled back as everyone else engaged in conversation and enjoyed their dinner.

'You okay' Emily whispered, pushing a strand of blonde hair behind her wife's ear as she chowed down on a pickle.

'Y..Yeah' Ali croaked. 'it's just…... your so good with babies…your so cute with Evie in your arms' The blonde tried with all her power to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes.

Emily looked at her wife, bracing herself for what could unfold. This was either going to end with Ali brushing it off and continue eating her food or her...Emily was interrupted from her thoughts when the blonde let out a sob.

Everyone looked in Ali's direction

Toby furrowed his brows and looked to Emily. 'What just happened'

'Ali what's wrong' Spencer asked

'Nothing' the blonde sobbed into Emily's shoulder

Everyone turned their faces to Emily, who just sighed and pulled the blonde closr to her.

'It's okay babe' the brunette whispered, placing a quick kiss on the top of Ali's head.

The group just looked around at each other puzzled, even more confused when Ali's tears turned into a fit of laughter

Ali could only look at her friends confused faces and continue laughing hysterically, grabbing half a pickle from her plate and throwing it in her mouth.

'I'm sorry' she announced still stifling her laughter as she leaned her hands on the table in front of her. 'It's just….you….you should see your faces' she giggled, wiping the tears from her face.

'What's going on' Aria exclaimed over Alis cackle, her and Spencer looking at each other extremely confused at the blondes sudden change in emotion.

Hanna gazed over at Ali, shaking her head with a smile plastered on her face. She knew exactly what was wrong with the her best friend.

'We need to tell them' Emily quietly chuckled to her wife, finding Ali's laughter becoming contagious. 'you know, before they decide to get you committed'

Ali looked into her wife's eyes, everything silent as the group tried to figure out what was wrong with her. 'Tell them...gowan' Emily whispered into her ear.

'Okay' She smiled, fixing herself on the chair and wiping her face with the napking infront of her. 'So I'd like to start off what I'm thankful for'. Alison stood up, tapping her spoon on her glass of water, earning silence from an already silent, confused group.

'I am so thankful that I'm here...that I'm here with all of you today. I'm thankful for all of your support after the accident. I mean you've helped Emily and I so much and we will be forever grateful' Ali smiled to the group around her. 'I'm thankful that I get to call each and everyone of you my family. You've given me a kind, sweet, loving nephew and two beautiful little nieces' Ali beamed, love in her eyes as she looked at Noah and Jane before grabbing Emily's hand in hers and smiling down at Evie on her wife's knee. 'And lastly, I'm thankful for my beautiful wife, the woman my heart beats for...my happily ever after' she gazed into her wife's eyes before taking a deep breath and looking back at her friends. 'And I'm thankful that we are finally able to start our beautiful family' Ali finished, placing hers and Emily's hands on her barely visible bump.

Emily pulled her pregnant wife down and kissed her while the boys cheered with their beer bottles in the air and the girls happiness and excitement filled the room.

'You guys' Aria beamed.

'I knew it' Hanna cheered. 'How far along' she added with a smile

'About 12 weeks' Emily answered, her face filled with happiness. She was overjoyed that she finally got to share the good news with their friends.

'Spence are you crying' Caleb asked as he looked over to his brunette friend whose eyes were shiny, filled with unshed tears.

'I'm so happy for you guys' Spencer smiled with her hand to her heart, trying to ignore Caleb's statement.

'Aww Spencers crying' Ezra teased, his daughter standing on his knees and smacking his face with one of Noah's toy cars.

'It's not my fault' She chuckled, looking up the the ceiling above her and fanning her face to try to prevent more tears oj joy falling down her face. 'Ali isn't the only one with crazy pregnancy hormones'

'Congratulations girls' Toby smiled, pulling his wife closer to him but being careful not so squash their son between them.

'How did I not figure this out earlier, I mean for crying out loud you were sexting Emily like a dog in heat the other day, having a meltdown at the counter because you couldn't find your phone, getting pissed off at me every second of the day, and eating pickles like there going out of fashion...I mean...HOW' Hanna laughed in disbelief.

'Me and Emily are always sexting, that's nothing new' Ali teased resulting in laughter from the group, everyone besides Emily who cleared her throat and blushed in embarrassment, a simple smirk on her face at the blondes comment.

'I wish I was pregnant again' Hanna teased with a hungry glare at her husband.

'Ohhh Hanna has baby fever' Ezra laughed, gently nudging Caleb who could only choke on his drink in response.

Ali smiled as she took Evie from Emily's arms and sitting her on her laps. She looked at Emily who had her hand placed on her pregnant belly, fully intrigued as everyone around the table started saying what they were thankful for.

Ali was so grateful that she survived the crash, that she was free to spend the rest of her life with Emily and that they were soon going to be bringing a beautiful baby into the world. Her life was perfect right now and she wouldn't change it for the world.

The rest of the day flew by pretty quickly. It was just passing 8pm and the boys were in the living room drinking beers and watching the game, Noah snuggled up to his dad with his iPad in his hands completely uninterested in the TV.

'Put her into the crib in Evie's room' Hanna whispered to Aria who had just settled her daughter down in her arms. 'Will you check Evs when your up there, she's in my room' The blonde added to the petite brunette who was slowly standing up from her spot at the table.

'I can't believe we all have children now' Spencer smiled as she took a sip from her sparkling water.

'It's so surreal, I mean it's hard to believe that there a baby growing inside me' Ali smiled, rubbing small circled on her bump.

'Em would you pop open another bottle' Hanna called to the brunette who was getting forks for Spencer and Ali so they could eat some cheesecake.

Emily walked over the counter and scanned the assortment of drinks for a bottle of wine, her eyes set on the bottle of tequila. She knew opening it was a recipe for disaster but it was thanksgiving so why not.

She held it up to Hanna who nodded with a smirk and wide eyes.

Aria walked back inside grinning down at the bottle of tequila in the brunettes hands before making her way back over to the table.

'So did you have your first scan yet' Hanna questioned.

'Yeah, we had it a few days ago actually' Ali beamed taking the ultrasound picture out of her purse, watching as Emily smiled down at the picture of their little baby, remembering back to the sound of its little heartbeat that filled the room.

XXXXXXXXXX

 _Ali and Emily walked hand and hand to the doors of rosewood community hospital._

 _'Ali….what's wrong' Emily asked from the other side of the entrance to Ali who was stopped just outside._

 _'I can't go in there Em' Ali replied as flashbacks from the accident began to fly around in her head._

 _'Ali' Emily smiled squeezing the blondes hand reassuringly._

 _'Don't think about the accident, we're about to see our baby for the first time and hear its heartbeat….think about that'_

 _'Okay this way' Emily commented after reading a sign overhead. Trying to drown out the memories of a year and a half ago for her wife's sake._

 _Ali took deep breaths trying to calm her nerves as they made their way down the long corridoor to the ob-gyn ultrasound area._

 _'Here we go' Emily breathed as they made their way reception area._

 _The brunette placed her hand on Ali's tigh, trying to stop her foot tapping nervously on the sterile floor as she continued filling out the mountain of forms they had to complete._

 _'I'm going to be sick' Ali exclaimed._

 _'What if I do something to hurt the baby Em, what if something's wrong' Ali panted as her mini panic attack took over her body._

 _'Deep breaths babe, deep breaths' Emily comforted Ali rubbing small circles on her back, ignoring the weird looks that were being thrown in their direction._

 _She put her hand on Ali's chin, tilting the blondes pale face in her direction and placing a small kiss over Ali's lips, not caring about the audience scattered around the room._

 _'It's fine okay, everything is going to be fine, buggy is safe and sound inside in your stomach…. enjoying the warmth of his or her new home' Emily reassured her wife, her hand placed firmly on her the blondes stomach earning a soft smile from Ali._

 _'Mrs Dilaurentis-Fields' A doctors voice called leading Emily eagerly to her feet while Ali slowly followed behind_

 _'Hello ladies I'm Doctor Robbins, the tall, blonde woman softly smiled extending her hand to the girls once they were inside the procedure room._

 _'Emily Dilaurentis-Fields' the brunette smiled back shaking the blonde woman's hand._

 _Alison looked around her, taking in her surroundings. The smell of antiseptic roamed through the air and there was an assortment of machines scattered around the room._

 _'Ali' Emily nudged her wife leading her to snap out of her nervous trance and look at the doctor._

 _'S...Sorry I'm Alison...the pregnant one' Ali anxiously chuckled._

 _'No need to be nervous' Doctor Robbins reassured the blonde. 'It shouldn't take too long'_

 _Alison winced at the feeling of the cold gel as it touched her stomach earning a chuckle from Emily before she gently squeezed her hand and kissed it._

 _The girls waited patiently as Dr Robbins moved the device around Ali's stomach._

 _Ali looked at her wife, who's eyes were sparkling with anticipation as she gazed on the monitor._

 _Ali felt her breath catch in her throat when the rapid beating noise filled the room._

 _Emily sat up straight, catching Ali hand tighter as the magical sound filled her ears._

 _Ali tried to swallow the lump in her throat 'Is that….. ' She mumbled, unable to finish her sentence as a silent tear fell down her cheek._

 _'That…...is your baby's heartbeat' the doctor smiled._

XXXXXXXXXX

'Wow it's so tiny' Spencer smiled 'Any idea on names' she added handing the baby picture to Hanna.

Emily chuckled because the blonde had literally made picking a name for their baby into a hobby since they found out they were pregnant. Emily would be woken in the middle of the night by her wife who would show her some unique names that she liked in the baby book or she would get a text in the middle of a class from Ali with a baby's name, its origin, its meaning and some famous person who had it.

'Still thinking' Emily grinned.

'What about you Spence, have you and Toby finally agreed on what to call the baby? Hanna smiled as she placed her hand on Spencer's bump.

'Not yet' Spencer answered with an exasperated sigh and an eye roll. 'Toby is so picky, he wants something unique' she complained, her mouth filled with cheesecake.

'So pretty soon we're going to have a baby Spencer and a baby Ali running around together' Aria chirped.

'A baby Emily' Ali interrupted.

'Am I missing something I thought you were the pregnant one' Hanna added with furrowed brows.

'Yeah I am, we used Emily's eggs' Ali explained.

'Ohhhhhh right' Hanna smiled, popping open the bottle of tequila and filling her glass.

Ali and Emily started looking at sperm donors a few weeks after the accident. One Saturday night, a bottle of wine and a blazing fire was all they needed to find the perfect one. At the exact same time, both their hands touched the photo on the coffee table of a blonde haired man with piercing blue eyes and adorable dimpled smile. Both women looked at each other, a knowing smile on their faces as Emily read through the profile of Donor 141. Everything about him was perfect, from his taste in music to the fact that he was an orthopedic surgeon specialising in sports medicine. The couple agreed at the start that Ali would be the one to get pregnant but she refused to use her own eggs so they used Emily's instead. And Emilys eggs with the sperm of a man who shared so many of Ali's features were the perfect fit for their growing family. They had to wait for Ali's body to recover fully before they went through with the procedure and after many physical therapy appointments and doctors visits they finally got the Okay to go along with it. They went into the clinic for their appointment hand in hand with hope that they would get a baby sooner rather than later, but they also knew from Aria and Ezra's struggle to concive a child that these things took time and didn't always work the first try. But as prepared as they were to spend as long as it took trying for a baby, luck took over and the first pregnancy test read positive.

* * *

'Hanna don't u dare post that photo' Emily slurred from the kitchen counter as music played in the background.

'Why I like it' Aria sighed, sniffing a strand of Hannas hair and looking down at the phone in her blonde friends hand.

'What are you doing' Hanna mumbled to the brunette.

The petite brunette twirled a blonde lock in her finger. 'What shampoo do you use your hair smells amaaaaazing'

'I don't know it's Evie's' Hanna mumbled. 'The only one I could find last night'

Emily stumbled over the carseat on the floor infront of her and almost dropped the drinks in her hand as she made her way over to her friends. 'Here you go m'ladies...two piña coladas'

Emily's bartending skills had really come in handy over the years. She managed a bar for someone who traveled a lot when she was living in California and when she moved back to Rosewood she worked at 'The Radley' for a while before she quit and put her college degrees to good use to start a job as the Head Swim Coach and Chemistry teacher at Rosewood High.

Spencer and Aria wanted to join in the drunken shenanigans but obviously under the circumstances they couldn't drink. Instead the two shared pickles and rocky road while laughing at memories from the past and talking about the new binge-worthy series on Netflix. Spencer prepared Ali for everything that was going to happen in her pregnancy and Ali helped Spencer out with baby names. All of which were on a big long list she pulled out of her handbag which she carried with her everywhere she went since she found out she was pregnant, just incase any cute and unique name caught her attention and she needed to write it down. The two sober sallys sat in relative peace, other than the odd nudge followed by stupid questions, mainly from Hanna or the random fits of hysterical laughter coming from all three of them as they shot back tequila shots and sipped on cocktails.

It was passing eleven when everyone started to leave the Rivers household.

'You ready Spence' Toby called with his sleeping son on his shoulder.

Spencer hugged her drunk friends and Ali walked them to the front door waving them goodbye.

'Come on babe we need to go...cabs here' Ezra smiled to his drunken wife, his babbling daughter squirming in his hands. He hand accidently woke her when he went upstairs to get her and since Aria was probably going to pass out when she got home, he had a feeling he was going to have a long night with his wide awake daughter.

'Okay kisses all around' Aria slurred as she stumbled over to Ezra, who caught her by the hand and walked her carefully to the cab. He knew Aria would probably have a lot to drink when he saw the assortment of alcohol on Hannas kitchen counter so he took it easy with his beers, knowing he would have to make it home safely with his daughter and heavily intoxicated wife.

'Okay I think that's our que to go' Ali announced to her wife who was completely ignoring her, laughing hysterically along with Hanna. Ali could only sigh in response knowing very well she was going to have a hard time dragging the brunette out of there.

'Em come on let's go' Ali yawned as she pulled the brunettes hand.

'You two are so lucky, you get to have sleepovers like…..every night' Hanna sighed as Ali pulled Emily away.

'No...no babe please just one more drink' Emily slurred giving Sad eyes to Ali.

'Fuck no there's a full bottle of tequila over there calling out our names Em' Hanna laughed as her tongue wodered mid air, searching for the straw of her moijito.

Emily let out a loug groan as Ali pulled her further away from the sofa. 'Please babe just one more hour'

'She might want to go home and give thanks in the bedroom Em….as if ye didn't get enough if each other this morning' Hanna teased.

'No Em...come on I'm tired' Ali pleaded, trying to hide the smirk on her face at Hannas comment.

'Just stay here tonight, you can sleep in the guest room' Hanna pleaded with wide eyes, tugging Emily from Ali's grip.

'Fine' Ali finished after the looks of anticipation from the two women were becoming too much.

'Yess' Hanna cheered, jumping up and trailing over to the fresh bottle of tequila on the kitchen counter and pouring two shots for her and Emily.

'Love you' Emily mumbled into Alis shoulder as she pulled her pregnant wife in for a hug, swaying side to side as Hanna stood behind her, already after downing both her own shot and Emilys.

* * *

Ali walked downstairs with a babbling 10 month old at 7am the next morning. Evie had woke her and Caleb at 6, screaming crying with her teeth and since Ali was the only one in the house without a hangover, she willingly took her from her father allowing him to sleep in.

She put some teething gel on Evie's gums and managed to sooth her with a bottle on the rocking chair, but gave up trying to put her back to sleep when Evie's tears turned into excited squeals.

Emily had not come to bed during the night, and neither did Hanna so the blonde braced herself for what she was going to find when she walked down the stairs.

Alison walked into the front room, Evie resting on her hip, pulling on the buttons of the pyjamas she had borrowed from Hanna. She smiled and shook her head with and exasperated sigh when she saw Hanna, laying on the chair like a starfish, her legs hanging over the handle and a half empty bottle of tequila on the floor right next to her hand.

'Yes Evie that's your mommy' Alison grinned when her niece squealed down at the snoring blonde.

'Come on we look for aunty Em...see what state she in' Ali chuckled over Evie's babbles.

Ali walked into the kitchen and looked around to see her wife slumped over the table surrounded by empty glasses and bottles.

'And that's why you should never drink Evs' Ali cooed to the screeching baby in her arms as she placed her into her high chair.

The morning passed by quickly. Ali gave Evie her breakfast, allowing her to munch on cut up banana while cartoons played in the background. She then tidied up around the house, earning a few groans from the brunette over the loud clinking of the alcohol bottles as she threw them in the bin.

'Mamamamama' her niece shouted, slamming her hands on the tray of her high chair and splashing banana everywhere.

Evie left out sofe whimpers as she held her hand up to be lifted. Ali willingle lifted up the blonde baby, who had gotten banana in her hair, on her onesie, on her face and all over the floor.

'Come here sweet girl….let's get you cleaned up' Ali cooed to her niece while making her way to the bathroom.

It was just passing 9am when Caleb walked down the stairs, picking up his daughter out of her playpen and following the smell of bacon into the kitchen where Ali was making breakfast.

'Good morning' he announced while walking through the door.

'Morning' Ali chirped from her position behind the cooker.

'Those two must have had a good night' Caleb chuckled, his gave held on Emily sprawled out on the table. 'How are they not awake yet' he questioned, nodding to the squealing and babbling ten month old in his arms.

'The amount of empty bottles and glasses that were around the place is probably the answer' Ali laughed.

* * *

'Oh sweet jesus' Hanna mumbled with her hand to her head as she arose from the living room couch and walked into the kitchen.

'Morning sunshine' Caleb greeted, standing up and kissing Hannas forehead before making his way over to the sink with his empty plate and cup.

Hanna sat down in front of Ali, slamming her hand loudly on the table so Emily would wake up. There was no way she was suffering the effects of this brutal hangover on her own.

'Where am I' Emily groaned, looking dazed and confused as she scanned her eyes around the room. She looked to Hanna and dropped her head with a loud sigh as the effects of her hangover takeover her body.

Hanna rubbed her fingers on her temples and scrunched her face at the sound of Evie screeching from the playmat, smacking a noisy rattler off of her building blocks as the obnoxious sound of Elsa singing 'let it go' played on the TV in the background.

Caleb walked over from the kitchen counter and smiled as he placed a coffee cup infront of Emily and Hanna. 'Here you go'

'Ye want some breakfast' Ali asked as she sipped on her orange juice.

'Don't talk about food or I'll get sick in your face' Hanna stated with a greenish colour to her skintone and her hand to her lips.

'Oh god' Emily exclaimed as she jumped up from the chair and pushed it across the dining room floor, holding her mouth with both hands as she ran to the bathroom down the hall.

'Well I was going to ask if ye would like to come to the park with Me, Spencer and the kids' Ali called out earning a loud groan followed by a gag from the bathroom. She scrunched her face and laughed with Caleb. 'But now I think I'll just go alone'


	6. Fear of the Unknown

**Here's ch 6 of baby steps. This is my favourite chapter so far because it's Christmassy and Christmas is my favourite time of the year. Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Fear of the unknown**

With Thanksgiving over Christmas was just around the corner. Ali's first trimester passed by quickly, she suffered the usual morning sickness and fatigue like almost every other mother does during pregnancy but the girls started to worry early in the second trimester when Ali's morning sickness started to become excessive and she was suffering extreme fatigue.

XXXXXXXXXX

 _"Morning ladies" Aria greeted from behind the counter in the brew._

 _"Hey" Ali and Emily replied in unison._

 _"Hello sweet girl" Emily cooed to Jane who quickly waddled over to her, putting her hands out to be picked up by the brunette._

 _On top of being successful authors, Aria and Ezra owned the brew. They had bought a house close to Hanna a few months before Jane was born, but still kept their old apartment above the brew as a quiet place for them to work on their books and somewhere for Jane to take naps when her mommy and daddy were working._

 _"So how's the new book going?" Emily asked, taking a seat at their usual spot in the brew._

 _"Really good, I have a meeting with our publishing company in New York before Christmas so hopefully all goes well" Aria smiled._

 _"Morning lovelies" Hanna chirped, making her presence known as she swooped Jane up from Emily's knee and started smothering her in kisses._

 _The excited babbles and giggles from her niece were like music to Emily's ears. She couldn't wait until she was able to hear that from her daughter or son once they arrived._

 _"You okay babe" Emily asked her pale wife who was sitting with her head slouched in her hand, completely uninterested in the conversation that was taking place._

 _"Fine" Ali cleared her throat. "I'm just going to go to the bathroom"_

 _"Is she still getting morning sickness" Aria asked with a concerned face once Ali was out of sight._

 _"Yeah...and it's getting worse" Emily sighed._

 _"My morning sickness was gone well before my first trimester was over" Hanna said as she took a seat next to Aria._

 _"Yeah and I could count on one hand the amount of times I got sick in the mornings when I was pregnant with Jane" Aria added_

 _"I know every pregnancy is different but usually morning sickness wears away before the second trimester….and I know Ali is only about a week in but by the looks of it hers is getting worse….as if it wasn't bad enough already" Hanna sighed._

 _"It's probably nothing, but I think you should get it checked out just incase" Aria reassured the brunette who had now gone paler than Ali was when she walked to the bathroom._

 _"Han, it's almost 9 are you ready to go?" Ali asked with a forced smile to her friend before kissing her wife goodbye._

 _"Ali you look terrible….go home and take the day off, I'll manage opening on my own and I can call Lisa or Aimee to come in if it gets too busy" Hanna smiled, letting her niece down on the floor and fixing the crinkles in her little dress. "_ _Oh and Pams coming in anyway later on to help sort through the new deliveries"_ _the blonde added._

 _Pam had been such a great help in the boutique while Ali was recovering from the accident and Hanna was getting ready to have Evie. She was great with organisation and knew a bit about fashion so she took over the shop for a few weeks after Hanna had Evie. The blonde still popped in every so often, showing off her newborn to the regular customers and checking up to make sure Pam was okay. The older woman recommended Lisa and Aimee to the girls, they were two college students and even though Hanna and Ali had bad luck with the students they hired in the past, these girls were an exception and were great workers, probably because it was with Pam they had their first few weeks of work with. The girls always joke saying she probably trained them like cadets. Pam usually popped in a few times a week and helped out tidying up the shop, steaming clothes, sorting shoes, and all things like that and Hanna and Ali were so grateful to have her._

 _"No han it's fine, I'll be okay it will pass"Ali sighed._

 _"No Ali, go home….seriously, you know I love you and all that but the shops busy leading up to Christmas and I don't think the customers will appreciate with the smell of vomit roaming around the place" Hanna joked, hoping it would persuade the blonde to take the day off._

 _"Okay" Ali smiled "but call me if it gets too busy" she shouted after Hanna who was already making her way out the doors of the brew to open their beloved boutique._

 _"I have to get going too, I have class in 20 minutes" Emily added as she looked at the time on her phone. "_ _Go back to bed for a while….get some rest" she smiled to Ali. The brunette placed a kiss on her wife's lips before putting on her jacket and swinging her bag over her shoulder, making her way out into the cold December morning with her warm coffee cupped in her hands._

XXXXXXXXXX

"I know Dr Robbins said not to worry on the phone but if it wasn't anything serious she would scheduled the appointment for after Christmas…..The fact it's on Christmas Eve is really unsettling" Ali told her wife for what Emily swore was at least the 20th time today.

"Babe, i'm sure it's fine, she probably just made the appointment as a precautionary measure" Emily reassured the blonde, trying to hide the uneasiness in her voice.

Dr Robbins kept Ali under observation after the girls called her up about Ali's severe morning sickness but made an appointment for them to come in straight away when one morning a few day ago, Ali had gotten sick so much she almost passed out.

"Hello ladies, how are we today" Dr Robbins approached the anxious women in the empty waiting area. "Look, like I said there is nothing to worry about….we're just going to make sure everything is okay in there" she reassured the two women when she was met with worried looks.

Xxxxxxxx

"Okay so you know the drill" She smiled to Alison once they were inside the room.

Alison threw her puffy winter jacket over one of the chairs, lay down on the bed and pulled up her top exposing her slowly growing belly. She could feel the sweat on Emily's hand when she grabbed it in hers and squeezed it gently. The brunettes pulse was racing and so was her own.

"You okay" Emily smiled to the flushed looking blonde whose stomach was quickly moving up and down as she inhaled deep breaths.

"Yeah" Ali breathed out before swallowing hard.

"So you're about 16 weeks now isn't that right" Dr Robbins questioned, trying to make small talk to the pale women in front of her as she placed the gel on the blondes stomach.

"Ehmm Yeah, 16 weeks since Monday" Emily answered with a small smile.

"And this is your second scan right" the doctor asked.

"Yes...but it's our third appointment, we had an appointment with another doctor called Dr Mason to confirm the pregnancy when we were around 8 weeks but we didn't see the baby then, he just did a quick exam and took Ali's blood."

"Oh really?" Dr Robbins looked at the dorks with furrowed brows. "Usually you get a scan at 8 weeks. I like to give them to mothers early on, you know give the anxious parents a chance to see their little one"

Emily and Alison looked at Dr Robbins and nodded. They were really lucky to have a doctor who actually cared about her patients. Ali had developed a phobia of hospitals after the accident and so her and Emily decided to try a new clinic in Philly with their first doctor, Dr Mason. The older man didn't even greet them when they walked in and was so ignorant that Ali snapped at him and told him a bit about patient hospitality and kindness. They didn't bother to go back there and as much as Ali wanted to avoid the hospital, they transferred there for their second appointment and were more than grateful to get Dr Robbins as their doctor.

Dr Robbins pressed the device down onto Ali's stomach and the image of their baby appeared in front of them. She moved the device around and focused on the screen. She suddenly stopped moving the instrument and zoomed in on the image. Ali's pulse went sky high and her breaths became shorter and quicker when she saw the surprised look on the doctors face.

"What wrong, is everything okay?" Emily asked, her voice shaking as she squeased Ali's hand tighter.

"E...Everything's perfect" she smiled to the two women. "I'm not sure how we missed this in the first scan but…Congratulations ladies, it's twins"

"Twins" Emily breathed out with a large smile covering her face.

Ali was left speechless at the news and found it almost impossible to swallow the lump

In her throat.

"There's baby A…and there's baby B" the doctor grinned while moving the device around Alis stomach. "Would you like to know the genders?" She asked.

The two women looked at each other and nodded. They were going to leave it a surprise like Aria had done but decided that they wanted to find out instead.

"Okay….So…baby A is a little girl" the doctor announced.

"A girl" Alison breathed out as a silent tear fell down her face.

"And baby b is….her sister. Congratulations ladies….it's twin girls"

Emily and Alison smiled at each other as they let Dr Robbins words sink in. Not only were they having twins, but they were having twin girls.

"Would you like a 3d ultrasound, it's a little extra but it's worth it" the doctor asked.

"Yes please" Emily beamed, not giving the doctor a chance to tell her the price.

The girls looked at the realistic 3D image of their babies on the screen and the sight in front of them was magical.

"Usually with twins, mothers can experience excessive morning sickness and fatigue which explains why you've been feeling the way you have. It should die down soon though" Dr Robbins explained once the 3D ultrasound had finished.

"Wow…...twin girls" Emily chuckled, her voice filled with pure happiness.

"This is the best Christmas present ever" Ali grinned as she took the brunettes lips in for a passionate kiss.

* * *

Ali and Emily made their way into Emily's parents house straight after the scan, both of them beaming with excitement.

"How was it? Did everything go okay?" Pam exclaimed as the women walked through the door.

"Yes Everything is perfect...More than perfect" the brunette grinned to her parents before taking a seat in the living room.

"We found out the gender" Ali smiled as Wayne took their jackets from them.

Pam squealed with excitement and took a seat in front of the girls, waiting for her husband join them before she asked questions.

"Well What is it….do I have a granddaughter or a grandson" Wayne questioned, rubbing his hands together in excitement as he took a seat next to his wife.

Emily took the ultrasound picture out of her purse and her and Ali looked down at the image once again, their hears filled with love for their two daughters slowly growing inside Alison's stomach.

"Granddaughters" Emily smiled, handing the image of their twins over to her parents.

"Granddaughters?" Wayne questioned with a tight lipped smile before looking at the image.

"Twins" Pam screamed, jumping up and pulling Emily and Ali in for a hug.

"I have two granddaughters" Wayne breathed in disbelief as he ran his thumb over the image.

"This is the best Christmas surprise ever" he chuckled, jumping up from the chair and joining in on the group hug.

After spending about an hour at Emily's parents house, the proud mothers to be made their way home where Emily had arranged for all the girls to meet so they could share the good news.

Emily pulled up to the house to see Hanna was already outside, unbuckling Evie from her car seat while Caleb held his phone to his ear and sauntered around in circles.

"Hello sweet girl….Happy first Christmas" Ali cooed to the babbling 11 month old.

"Aww would you look at her" Emily smiled, taking in the sight of her niece who was wearing the cutest red checkered Christmas dress, Little Black shoes and a matching hairband. Evie really was one of the most fashionable babies she had ever seen.

"So how did it go….is everything okay?" Hanna questioned.

"Everything is perfect" Ali smiled.

"Hey girls" Spencer called, making her way out through the Hastings gate holding one of Noah's hands while his other was held out catching snowflakes as they fell.

"Are you excited for Santa" Emily asked Noah, the little brunette looked up to her and smiled, looking like an adorable starfish in his big puffy jacket and snow boots

"Yes, I'm getting Spiderman and frozen and surprises and we got cookies for Santa and a carrot for Rudolph" Noah excitedly babbled on to his three aunts in front of him.

"Where's Haven?" Hanna asked.

"She spit up everywhere so Tobys just changing her in my moms" Spencer replied with a soft smile.

Spencer due date wasn't until after Christmas. She went into labour two weeks early in Rosewood Police Station after she took Noah to visit his daddy at work. She got a police escort to the hospital and after twelve hours of labour, she gave birth to Haven Cavanaugh at 9am on December 14th, a beautiful light brown haired baby with Toby's piercing blue eyes and Spencer's cute little chin.

"Hmmm it smells like Christmas in here" Hanna grinned while the girls took off their jackets at the door. Caleb and Toby followed in a few minutes later, bringing all the girls to their feet so they could see their 10 day old niece.

Toby lifted his precious little daughter out of the carseat and handed her to Spencer. She took off her little snowsuit and then passed her to Hanna who was waiting first in line to hold the little baby.

"Oh my god she's beautiful" Hanna whispered after she was handed the tiny baby. "Look at you, all cute in your Christmas onesie" she cooed to Haven who slowly opened and closed her eyes. "It's your cousin Evie's first Christmas too….yes it is" she finished placing a kiss on the newborns forehead and handing her to Alison.

"Just think this will be our little one in a few months, but there will be two babies, not one" Ali whispered to Emily, both of them gazing down at the sleepy baby as conversation began between Spencer and Hanna.

"Hello Haven Cavenaugh, you are a little angel...Yess you are sweet girl" the blonde smiled, rubbing her thumb over the babies cheek before handing her to her wife.

"Oh look at you" Emily cooed while she fixed the baby in her arms. She put her thumb down near Havens hand and the tiny newborn wrapped her little fingers around it. Emily smiled down at her niece, the feeling of the little babies tiny fingers wrapped around her thumb was filling her heart with joy. The brunette couldn't wait until she was holding her little girls in her arms. She couldn't wait to go through every milestone in their life and watch them grow up to become beautiful young women.

"Merry christmas" Aria beamed as she got dragged into the living room by her waddling daughter.

"Merry christmas" Ezra repeated as he followed in behind, blowing into his hands to heat them up.

"Jane" Noah yelled as he ran over to his cousin and pulled her into a hug. Everyone smiled as Jane excitedly squealed into the older boy's arms.

"So how did everything go, it the baby Okay?" Spencer questioned, cradling her newborn daughter in her arms.

"Everything is fine….more than fine" Ali beamed.

Emily looked at the blonde, silently asking if it was okay to share the great news now. Ali nodded with a smile, interlocking her fingers with her wife's.

"Actually….we have some news" Emily added

"What is it" Hanna questioned with furrowed brows.

Silence fell among the group and the only sounds heard were the Christmas movie playing in the background and the babbling and squealing from Noah, Jane and Evie on the floor infront of them.

"We actually found out the gender today" Emily grinned while Ali rummaged through her purse for the ultrasound picture.

"What is it….Oh my god wait, I guessed girl since day one I bet you I'm right" Hanna smiled to the two girls.

"I'm going for a boy…. definitely a boy" Aria added with positivity in her voice.

"Hmm...I'm going...I'm going with a girl" Spencer added after a few moments of hesitation.

"Boy" Toby added

"Girl" Ezra guessed.

"Ya...I think a girl too" Caleb finished.

"Well" Emily exhaled a deep breath and smiled at Alison. "It's girls"

"Girls?" Aria exclaimed with wide eyes.

"As in plural" Spencer asked with a smirk.

"We're having twin girls" Emily and Alison announced together.

"Holy shit, really?" Hanna beamed.

"Yeah" Ali chuckled.

"Aww congratulations girls" Toby cheered.

"Congratulations" Caleb and Ezra smiled in unison.

"Oh my god this is so much to take in at once" Aria grinned with a shocked face and her hand over her mouth.

"That was so unexpected" Hanna added.

"This is like…the best Christmas announcement ever" Spencer chuckled, tears brimming in her eyes as she took the ultrasound picture from Ali and everyone huddled around her to see it.

* * *

After about an hour at the Dilaurentis-Fields household, everyone left to go home. They left at around 6pm after Toby, Caleb and Ezra loaded up their cars with all the gifts Emily and Alison had got for the kids and then they all made their way back to their houses to celebrate Christmas Eve.

"Here you go" Ali smiled, handing Emily a cup of hot chocolate. She lay down on Emily's shoulder and the brunettes wrapped her arm around her, immediately rubbing circles on her bare stomach.

Emily lowered her head so it was just hovering over Ali's slowly growing bump. "Merry Christmas my beautiful baby girls…..I can't wait to finally meet you" She smiled before placing a kiss over Alis belly button.

"You know today it felt like finding out we were pregnant all over again" Ali grinned.

"It did didn't it" Emily agreed, thinking back to day they found out they were pregnant.

XXXXXXXXXX

 _How long does it take?' Emily questioned, sitting on the corner of the bathtub_

 _"About a minute" Ali breathed out from her seat on the lid of the toilet bowl while anxiously tapping her foot on the tiled floor._

 _"Wow this is so intense" Emily chuckled to her wife._

 _"I know isn't it" Ali grinned, slowly breaking into a fit of laughter._

 _"Oh god" Emily chuckled, finding the blondes nervous outburst contagious._

 _The two women sat stifling their laughter until the timer finally went off._ _Ali's heart started to race when the bells rang on her phone._

 _"You get it" She smiled to Emily_

 _Emily glanced into Ali's eyes and took a deep breath before standing up and walking towards the test on the sink. Ali stood up and waited eagerly for the results._

 _The brunette looked at her wife and gave her a tight lipped smile. "_ _We're having a baby" she beamed, catching Ali in a tight grip and swinging her around._

 _"We're having a baby" Ali exclaimed as she wrapped her arms tighter around the brunettes nexmck and took her wife's lips in her own for a lingering kiss._

XXXXXXXXXX

The girls lay together on the couch, both covered with a blanket and wrapped in each others arms. They watched Christmas movies while the fire blazed beside them and the snow continued to cover to ground outside.

"Merry Christmas" Emily smiled to Alison.

"Merry Christmas babe" the blonde replied.


	7. New Years kiss

**Hope you enjoy the next chapter. Please leave a review. Thanks you xx**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: New Years kiss**

Emily rolled over in the bed, pulling the blankets up over her shoulder before reaching her arm over to pull her wife closer, only to be met with an empty, cold bed. The chemistry teacher slowly opened her eyes and leaned up on her elbow, running her other hand through her ruffled hair and scanning her tired eyes around the room.

"Ali" She rasped as she leaned over and peeked into their ensuite bathroom.

The brunette sat on the corner of the bed and reached over for the t-shirt that Ali had ripped off her earlier that night. She pressed the home button on her phone to see it was just passing 3:30. She stood up and walked out of their bedroom, yawning as she made her way over to the top of the stairs. She could hear shuffling from the kitchen below and knew her wife was either downstairs for a late night snack or because of yet another sleepless night.

"Ali….what are you doing?" she asked her wife who was frantically rummaging through the freezer.

"I thought you got ice cream last week" Ali mumbled.

"Ehmmm...Yeah, I did but Noah had some the other day and I ate the rest yesterday" The brunette yawned.

Ali rolled her eyes and let out a dramatic sigh.

"Come on let's go" Emily chuckled as she walked over and grabbed the blondes hand.

"No Em, I want ice cream….do you think Veronica has some in her house" Ali questioned, seriously contemplating picking up her phone and calling the Hastings household across the street.

"I don't think she'll appreciate us ringing at 3am for ice cream babe" Emily smiled.

"But I want it Em" Ali moaned while slamming the freezer door closed.

"Well then let's get you some"

* * *

"Hmmmmm this is so good" Ali mumbled, her mouth filled with vanilla ice cream.

Emily grinned across to the blonde, who looked at the banana split in front of her the same way she had looked at brunette a few hours before when they were having fun in the bedroom.

"Refill" an older woman asked holding the coffee pot in front of Emily.

"Yes please" Emily smiled as she held her cup up to the waiter.

"You want anything else babe" Emily asked with her coffee cup to her lips after Ali had spooned the last scoop of ice cream into her mouth.

"You know now that you mention it those pancakes look delicious" Ali commented while looking at the picture on the menu in front of her.

Emily nodded her head at the waiter and the woman made her way back over the two with her notebook in her hand.

"What can I get you ladies" she smiled.

Emily pointed to the menu in front of her and gave the waiter a soft smile. "Could we get two stacks of pancakes with maple syrup please"

"You sure can darling….is that all?" She asked the two women in front of her

"Yeah tha…."

"Do you have pickles" the blonde interrupted.

"Pickles?...we sure do" the waiter chirped.

"Could I have some please" Ali smiled. "On the pancakes"

"Ehm...with the syrup" the woman questioned.

"Yes with the syrup" Ali grinned.

"Sure you can" the woman finished before making her way back over to the kitchen.

Emily rolled her eyes at the blonde and chuckled softly to herself.

"What?" Ali questioned.

"Pickles and pancakes Ali….really" the brunette grinned placing her hand over the blondes.

"And maple syrup" Ali added with a wide smile to her wife in front of her.

The chemistry teacher nodded her head with a soft chuckle. "Well...whatever makes my three girls happy"

* * *

"Hey babe" Ali greeted Emily who was making her way up the steps from her morning run….well more like afternoon run since the two stayed in bed until 11am after their very late night trip to the diner 20 minutes outside Rosewood.

"Where are you going" Emily questioned as she pulled her earphones out of her ear.

"Hanna and I have a meeting with our suppliers, they called last minute to set it up" Ali sighed.

"It's New Years Eve Ali, and we will be leaving at 1" Emily commented with a concerned face.

"I know, but there in town for the weekend so it's better for us to just get it over and done with, we shouldn't be too long" Ali finished, kissing her wife on the lips before making her way to the car. "I'll see you later" she called back to the brunette.

Emily walked inside her warm home, taking off her thermal sports jacket and shoes at the door. She made her way up the her bedroom and turned on the news on the TV so she could listen to the morning headlines while she took her shower.

* * *

"Emily" Ali shouted upon entering the house.

The blonde pulled off her jacket and dropped her bag and keys on the floor. It was passing 12:30 and she was stressed off her head because their meeting had run long and she had lots to do before they left for the weekend.

"Emily" she shouted again on her way up the stairs before frantically rummaging around their room looking for her suitcase.

"What's wrong" Emily questioned as she walked out of their ensuite bathroom.

"My bag, did you move my bag I need to finish packing" Ali signed while scanning her eyes around their bedroom. "It was right here...Did you move it?" She yelled from the bedroom floor with her hand shuffling around under the bed.

Emily walked over to her wife and sat down on the floor next to her watching as the frustrated blonde dropped her head in her hands.

"Where the fu…."

"Babe…..calm down" the brunette interrupted, pulling the frazzled blondes hands away from her head. "Your bag is packed….I finished both when you were out and there already in the car"

"You did" Ali gushed with a loving pout on her face.

"Yes" Emily answered sweetly.

"Oh did you pack that bla….."

"The Black jacket?... yes" the brunette grinned

"And what about my new…."

"Your new hat?...Yeah that's in there too" Emily smiled.

"Hmmm….and what about that new red lingerie you got me for Christmas" the blonde smirked, biting her bottom lip'

"Actually...I didn't think of that, but I would be more than happy to get it for you and put it in the car" the swim coach grinned.

"Oh yeah" Ali rasped, pulling her wife in for a lustful kiss, a kiss that was interrupted with a loud ringing from Ali's phone.

"Uhhhhh" Emily groaned.

"Hey Spencer" the blonde greeted after answering the phone to her friend.

"Hey, are you two leaving soon?" the brunette questioned.

Ali smiled into Emily eyes and pulled on the hem of her t-shirt. "Yeah….maybe in about 20 minutes or so, I just have something to take care of before we go"

"Okay that's good, Aria and Ezra are already there and Hannas leaving soon, Toby and I just got on the road"

"Yeah that great Spence see you there" the blonde finished after quickly hanging up the phone, Ali hadn't really listened to what Spencer had said…she just thought of all the things she could do to her wife in the 20 minutes before they left.

* * *

"Ohhhhh" it's cold out there' Ali announced as the two entered Spencer's lake house.

"What took you so long" Aria questioned.

Emily and Ali shared a quick smile and dropped their bags by the table before making their way over to the chair to sit down in front of the blazing fire.

"Ehmmm…..Sorry I just had something to do before we left" Emily commented while taking a seat next to Spencer'

"Yeah….Ali" Hanna snorted earning giggles from the group.

"Very funny" Emily replied sarcastically.

"Where is everyone" Ali questioned

"The boys are gone to get food" Spencer replied as she cradled her daughter in her arms.

"What about Jane and Evie?" Emily asked

"Evie's asleep upstairs and Jane...Jane is around here somewhere" Aria answered. "Jane" She called out knowing very well that her daughter being very quiet in another room meant she was up to no good.

"Mamamama" the little girl squealed as she waddled to her mother.

"Em...what's that on your neck"Aria questioned while picking up her daughter.

"Oh…Ehm...must have checked my pulse to hard" Emily joked with a red face while covering the red mark on her pulse point.

"Thats a hickey babe" Hanna sniggered.

'Whoops' Ali exclaimed.

A few hours later the group stood outside the lake house in the icy cold night patiently waiting for the countdown to yet another new year.

"This time next year we will be celebrating New Years with our little girls" Emily smiled while standing behind Ali and holding the blondes little bump with her hands.

Ali shivered at the feeling of Emilys hot breath against her face and let out a deep sigh. "I love you so much Em" She whispered as she placed a small kiss on the side of Emily's cheek.

"I love you way more" Emily mumbled into Ali's neck as she slipped her hands into the warmth of Ali's pockets and interlocked their fingers inside.

"Impossible" Ali breathed as she stared out at the beautiful view in front of her, and then looked over to the even more beautiful view next to her.

"This year is going to be the best year ever" Emily whispered to herself from her position behind the blonde, squeezing her wife even tighter as the countdown to new year began.

The entire group began counting

"5…..4…..3…..2…..1…..HAPPY NEW YEAR"

Ali turned her head into the brunettes face and locked their lips together. The blonde turned around, making sure their lips stayed in contact and wrapped her hands around Emily's neck. Ali pulled away from the kiss and leaned her forehead against Emily's

"Happy new year" She whispered against Emily's face.

"Happy new year" Emily whispered back before pulling the blonde in her arms and hugging her tightly, both looking up at the fireworks in the night sky above them.


	8. I think someone just chose their name

**Sorry for the late update. I did a lot of thinking about this story during the week and though a few times of skipping through the pregnancy and moving straight to the birth of the girls to get the story moving, but instead I'm going to keep it the way I originally planned. This story could go as far as 20 chapters...maybe more but I promise its going to get very interesting:) Again leave a review and if you have any suggestions let me know:)**

 **This chapter is a bit fluffy so it's** rated M

 **hope you enjoy xx**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: I think someone just chose their name.**

Emily ran through the door from her morning run, sweat dripping down her face as she made her way to the refrigerator to get a bottle of water.

Ali had been up all night last night tossing and turning with back pain and after the blondes 5am tantrum Emily hadn't been able to go back to sleep. After eating a light breakfast which consisted of oatmeal and mixed berries, the chemistry teacher finished off some school work and responded to emails before waking Ali for work.

"Morning" Emily chirped to the blonde who finally decided to drag herself out of bed and make her way towards the kitchen.

"Hmm" the blonde groaned in response. Ali had never really been a morning person and her pregnancy was no exception to that fact.

Emily gathered her things together and poured some more coffee into a takeaway cup to bring with her. There was something about the way she made coffee that was nothing like how Ali did it. Over the years the blonde had perfected the perfect cup and it had become almost like their morning ritual that Ali made the coffee and Emily made the breakfast.

"What are you doing" Emily asked as her eyes caught sight of the blonde packing an energy bar into her handbag.

"I don't have time to eat" Ali replied.

"Ali there's oatmeal ready for you" Emily spoke up as she closed her laptop and put it into the bag on her shoulder.

"Emily...no offence to your cooking but I'm not eating that gloop it looks like….."

"Ali...it's good for you and it's good for the babies" the brunette interrupted firmly.

Ali let out an exasperated sigh before making her way over to the bowl of oatmeal her wife had made for her. She looked down at the lumpy substance in disgust and slowly spooned it into her mouth, hoping the berries would make the bowl more bareable.

"Did you take these" Emily asked, holding up the container of prenatal vitamins.

"Oh...No I keep forgetting" Ali replied, picking a raspberry out of her bowl and tossing it in her mouth.

"Ali, there important" Emily said in a frustrated tone.

"I know...I'll take them I just forgot"

"Yeah well set an alarm on your phone or something, I don't want to have to remind you about these every morning" Emily raised her voice.

"Grumpy much" Ali frowned with furrowed brows

"No I'm not grumpy it's just this stuff is important for the babies okay, and so is a proper, healthy breakfast" Emily continued with annoyance clearly showing in her voice.

Ali stormed over and grabbed the bottle from Emily, glaring at her as she tossed the vitamins into her mouth.

"Happy" She spoke out while slamming the bottle onto the kitchen island. "Jeez I knew pregnancy would come with some crazy erratic mood swings I just didn't think they would be yours"

"Sorry Ali I'm running on about 20 minutes sleep" The chemistry teacher surrendered.

"Ohhh….and that's my fault Yeah" Ali snapped.

"That...that's not what I said Ali" the brunette sighed.

"Hurry up, I'm late" the blonde shouted as she swung her bag over her shoulder and made her way towards the front door.

"Well we wouldn't be if you got up the first time I called you" Emily yelled after her wife.

The brunette could only roll her eyes at the loud scoff Alison replied with before she slammed the front door closed. She could already tell it's going to be one of those days with her pregnant wife.

"Okay ladies great practice you can hit the showers" The swim coach announced to the group of swimmers as they jumped out of the pool.

"Lexi, your technique is really improving well done" the brunette smiled to one of the girls. "Kyra, can you come here please" She called out to another.

"Yeah coach" the blonde student panted while walking towards her teacher with her hands on her hips.

"I talked to Mr Edgewood earlier and he's not happy with your grades, you need to get your average up for his class okay. I can't lose my star swimmer" Emily sighed.

"Sorry coach….but really, Maths isn't going to help me win olympic gold medals" the girl stated as a matter of fact with a smirk on her face

"Kyra, if you don't work harder he is going to pull you from the team and I can't do anything about it once that happens"the brunette finished, trying to keep the expression on her face serious.

"Fine" the student replied with a dramatic eye roll, earning a chuckle from her favourite teacher.

Emilys phone began to buzz in her pocket and she waved her noisy student goodbye before answering.

"Hey han whats up"

"Okay don't panic but it's about Ali" the blonde blurted out.

"What's wrong...are you okay babe" Emily asked when she burst through the boutique doors and caught sight of her pale and sweaty wife.

"She's better now...Sorry for worrying you but I seriously thought she was going to pass out" Hanna exclaimed as she walked quickly towards the brunette.

Emily knelt down in front of the chair that her wife sat on. Her anger from this morning long forgotten about. Ali's face was sweaty and pale and she had her head slouched tiredly in her hands.

'Ali, are you okay' Emily asked

'Yeah I'm fine now' The blonde rasped after clearing her throat.

'You don't look fine' The brunette sighed while pushing a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

Emily whisked her pregnant wife home with the windows wide opened the whole way.

'Here babe drink more water' Emily told her wife while reaching her hand in the back seat and pulling a big bottle of water out of her bag.

'No I'm..'

'Ali, drink some water you need to hydrate' Emily softly interrupted while keeping her eyes on the road.

Ali dropped her head between her legs with a loud sigh.

'I'm going to be sick' She mumbled while Emily used her free hand to rub circles on her back.

'Almost home babe' Emily comforted as she turned the corner to their street.

'Do you think the babies are okay' Ali nervously gasped once they made their way through the front door.

'It's normal, your hormones are rising, they can cause your blood vessels to relax and widen. It basically lowers your blood pressure which is why your dizzy…...Or it could be low blood sugar level. I'll go make you something to eat and we can spend the day in bed watching movies' Emily smiled as the two made their way up the stairs.

'How do you know all this' Ali chuckled.

'I read it to you from one of the pregnancy books the other night, remember when you kept nodding off in the middle of my sentences' Emily grinned while walking her wife to the bedroom.

'Actually I do remember' the blonde smiled. She recalled lying on her wife's chest trying to fight off sleep while Emily read with an excited voice the pages on what to expect during your twentieth week of pregnancy which was where Ali was now.

* * *

"Ughhh I needed this" Hanna sighed as she slouched back into the chair. "Evie has been so cranky lately"

"We haven't really had a proper girls night in so long" Spencer smiled before taking a handful of popcorn in her hand.

"So have you guys picked names yet" Aria asked.

"We've thought of a lot but were not really set on any yet" Ali smiled while Emily sat back and nodded in agreement.

"It so stressful picking the perfect name" Emily added after sipping her wine.

"Tell me about it" Spencer rolled her eyes. "I still didn't have Havens name picked when my water broke" she sighed while reminiscing her painful labour with Toby blurting out baby names, trying desperately to name their daughter before she arrived into the world. It was when Noah said he wanted to call his sister Haven that the two smiled at each other and nodded, it was the perfect name for their perfect little daughter.

"One of my favourites was Ellie" Hanna smiled.

Ali was taken back by the sensation she felt in her stomach and she quickly inhaled a deep which led everyone to look at her.

"What's wrong" Aria asked with a worried tone and her eyes set on the blonde who had her stomach clutched firmly with both hands

"I can feel something, it's like a flutter…..huh there it is again. Oh god I think I'm in labour" Ali exclaimed with wide eyes and a worried expression.

The three girls looked on in amusement when Emily jumped up and ran towards her wife.

"Ali" Aria said as she stiffled her laughter. "Ali Your not in labour"

Spencer placed her hand on Ali's bump and allowed a wide smile to cover her face. "That's your little girls kicking"

"I think someone just chose their name" Hanna gushed with her hand to her heart.

"Ellie Dilaurentis Fields" Emily grinned.

"Ellie Dilaurentis Fields" Ali smiled in response. "I love it"

At just over 20 weeks Ali had officially surpassed her halfway mark. Everything was becoming surreal, the babies had started kicking, they had painted the nursery and started purchasing furniture for it and Alis bump was so rapidly growing she could no longer fit into any of her good clothes.

"I can't wait to see the girls next week" Emily shouted to Ali who was in their ensuite bathroom. "Hey, I was thinking maybe we should go away for a few days, nowhere far maybe New York or Florida, somewhere like that, we can talk to Dr Robbins about it next week and I have holidays coming up soon so it would be the perfect time before the babies come" the brunette chirped with her gaze still held on her laptop screen.

Ali walked out of the bathroom and leaned against the doorframe. "Yeah, that sounds amazing"

Emily let out a loud sigh as she scrolled through the emails on her laptop. "Babe I have a meeting tomoooooo…" The brunette was cut off when she looked up to her wife. Ali stood against the doorframe of the bathroom, wearing nothing but high heels and a hungry glare.

The blonde crawled slowly across the bed where she grabbed the laptop from Emily's hold and placed it on the floor.

"You know how sexy you look right now" Emily mumbled before Ali's pressed her lips firmly against her own.

The blonde wasted no time and within seconds her fingers were already trailing down to where the brunette was wet underneath her fingers. She quickly pushed Emily's underwear to the side and allowed her fingers to gently tease her folds before pushing through to find her clit.

The brunette allowed a soft moan to escape her lips and the blonde took it as a sign to go faster which is exactly what she did. After Ali slipped her finger inside her wife and started to build a rhythm Emily quickly moved her hand down to Ali's centre where she could tell the blonde needed her just as much.

The two women's tongues battled for dominance as they felt the pressure build up between their legs. Emily allowed her thumb to flick off Alison's clit with every thrush and the loud moans that escaped the blondes lips had the swim coach feeling that she could fall apart from that sound alone.

Alison's hand movements between Emilys legs came to a halt and her hips began to move lazily as Emily dipped her fingers in and out of her wife faster and faster.

"I'm coming Em...don't stop" Ali breathlessly pleaded as she threw her head back and allowed a loud moan to escape her lips. She quickly resumed her hand motions between Emily's legs while her orgasm took over her body. She forced her fingers into the brunettes wet core and quickly pumped them in and out of her wife. The blonde knew her swift movements were successful when she felt the brunette tighten around her fingers.

Both women rode out their orgasms while Emily began placing lazy kisses around Alison's shoulder.

"I love you" the brunette panted against her wife's skin.

"I love you way more" Alison smiled as she cupped Emily's cheeks softly and took her in for a heartfelt kiss.

"Want to go again?" Emily grinned as she pulled away from the kiss and the way Alison took her lips in hers and pushed her on her back gave the chemistry teacher the feeling that this night was going to be one of those nights where neither woman can get enough of each other.


	9. I can’t do this

**Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: I can't do this**

"Okay this piece is for one of the cribs and these ones are for the drawers….I think" Spencer mumbled while closely examining the pieces of wood she held in her hands.

"These instructions don't make any sense" Emily growled as she tossed the manual behind her shoulder and ran her fingers through her messy hair.

Spencer looked at her flustered friend and sighed "Remind me again why you decided to open everything together and mix all the pieces up"

"I opened the second crib because I couldn't find some of the pieces for the first one….and well...I opened the drawers because the cribs were getting on my nerves" the mom-to-be admitted.

Spencer scanned her eyes around the twins nursery. The floor was covered in cardboard boxes, wood, nails and plastic and everything was mixed up. She could see the frustration begin to show in Emily's face and she felt sorry because they had been planning this all week. Spencer had offered to help her surprise Ali by starting the nursery and today was the perfect day since the blonde had a full day at work, but by the looks of the way things were going nothing was going to get done anytime soon.

"Okay we need a system" Spencer announced as she stood up. The brunette stepped over a large box and made her way towards the door and when Emily saw the determination in her friends face she knew that things were finally going to get moving.

"You work on the drawers and I work on the cribs. I'll put everything out here by the stairs and you put all your pieces by the window. We can build the drawers first and Toby can help us when he comes over later on"

"Sounds good" Emily sighed in relief

The girls spent over four hours in the nursery sorting stuff out and putting everything together. Once Spencer got the system going things started to progress quickly and by the time Toby came over after his shift they were almost ready to start building.

After everything was assembled and the mattresses were positioned in the cribs Spencer and Emily put light grey covers on them and placed a new pink blanket and a pink teddy bear at the end of each one while Toby flew home to get some wood to hang shelves on the wall.

By the time he returned Emily had replaced the old cream curtains with the light pink ones that Ali had ordered a few weeks before while Spencer vacuumed the light grey carpet and then both of them managed managed to lift the light grey rocking chair from its temporary spot in the living room to its now permanent spot in the nursery near the window.

Once Toby hung the white shelves against the light grey walls the three stepped back and admired their accomplishment.

"Ali is going to be so happy" Emily grinned with one hand on her hip and the other over her mouth.

"I love it" Spencer added, scanning her eyes around the room. She loved the colours Ali and Hanna had chosen, how well the light pink curtains went against the light grey walls and how the white cribs, drawers and shelves fit in so well. It was hard to believe that just yesterday the nursery consisted of nothing more than painted walls and a few boxes lying around the room.

"I'm going to get the girls names over their cribs" Emily announced as she strolled around the room and imagined what the nursery would look like once it's finished.

"And maybe hang some picture frames on the wall here" Spencer suggested with folded arms.

It was just passing 6pm when Toby and Spencer left. After a little bite to eat and a quick read of a baby catalogue the brunette went upstairs and sat back on the rocking chair with a loud sigh of relief, smiling as her eyes moved around the nursery.

* * *

"Em, Im home. I know I said I would cook but Hanna made a spur of the moment decision to rearrange the dressing rooms so I stayed to help her" Ali shouted as she made her way through the front door, holding a large pizza box in one hand and her keys and hand bag in the other.

The blonde kicked the front door closed and made her way to the kitchen where she placed the pizza box on the kitchen island and took off her her jacket.

"Emily" she shouted only to be met by complete silence.

"Ufff You girls are getting heavy" Ali whispered as she waddled up the stairs in search of her wife.

The blonde walked towards her bedroom but was stopped in her tracks when she saw the light coming from the nursery. Her blue orbs began to sparkle when she walked through the door of the girls room. A huge smile appeared on her face and the smile got even wider when her eyes landed on the brunette. Her beautiful wife lay fast asleep on the rocking chair with a pink teddy bear held firmly in her hands. She walked around the room, brushing her hand off one of the cribs while admiring what she imagined took her wife all day to create.

"Hey" Emily rasped in a sleepy voice.

"Em, its beautiful" Ali mumbled, trying to hold back tears because seeing the nursery so put together made everything feel surreal.

"I had a little help" Emily admitted with a husky voice and a wide smile while stretching her arms high above her head and leaving a deep yawn escape her lips. The brunette stood up and walked behind the blonde, wrapping her arms around her and placing them on her stomach.

"I love it. Thanks babe" Ali smiled while turning her head towards her wife and resting it on the brunettes shoulder

"Anything for you and my girls" the brunette whispered before locking Alison's lips in her own.

"There's a large pepperoni pizza down in the kitchen calling our names" Ali grinned into Emily's face after the kiss ended, a kiss so intense that Emily struggled to open her eyes afterwards.

"You know me too well" The brunette whispered before both of them made their way out of the nursery and down to the living room to feast on one of their favourite foods.

* * *

It was a boring Monday afternoon and Ali sat behind the counter in the boutique, her eyes glued to the door as she eagerly awaiting the arrival of one of their younger employees to take over.

"Hey Ali" Their employee Lisa chirped, breaking Ali from her pen clicking trance. "I bought you a salad from that new place down the street, it's meant to be lovely" the younger woman started with a little too much enthusiasm in her voice for Ali's liking. "It has kidney beans and tofu, Oh and of course Gorgonzola….my favourite"

"Awh Thanks Lisa" Ali smiled while gratefully taking the paper bag containing the salad bowl.

"How was it this morning" Lisa questioned, immediately trying to start small talk as she placed her own salad on the counter in front of her.

"It was really busy up until about an hour ago" Ali answered, quickly gathering her things together. "Hanna should be in later on, I need to run I must collect Noah and Haven from Spencers moms house before one" Ali finished as she paced towards the door.

"Whooo that was a lucky escape girls" Ali smiled as she placed her hand bag and salad on the passengers chair next to her. "Once that woman starts she never stops talking" the blonde continued. "I know your mama would probably want me to eat that salad but I think pickles and popcorn sounds much better right now, and I personally don't like eating stuff I can't pronounce. I mean what on earth is garnabola" Ali chuckled to herself as she put the keys in the ignition and turned them to start the car.

It had been a long, stressful Monday morning for the Chemistry teacher. For her first class she got news that one of her swimmers had been pulled from the team over her poor grades and just twenty minutes ago another had revealed she would be moving schools next semester. On top of that she had to meet with some parents after an incident involving a Bunsen burner got one of her juniors suspended AND her new teachers assistant was more involved in her own world than anything that was going on around her.

The swim coach grabbed her bag from her office and made her way to her car to go meet Aria for lunch. She had been tempted to reschedule and stay in to catch up on some grading but Aria had been very persistent over the phone.

"I ordered the usual" Aria smiled to her brunette friend who made her way towards the table.

"Thanks, I'm starving" Emily replied while taking a seat across from Aria. "I've had the absolute worst morning" she sighed with her head buried in her hands.

The two friends sat and talked while eating their lunch. Emily told Aria about her eventful morning while Aria talked about her new book which was going to be published soon and how Jane said 'Fuck' for the first time yesterday which Emily could only laugh at because yesterday wasn't the first time. Hanna and her had brought Jane and Evie to the park two days ago and after Hanna dropped her coffee on the floor her little brunette niece mimicked the loud 'fuck' that flew out of the blondes mouth.

"So Em, I've been meaning to ask you something" Aria breathed out once the waiter cleared the empty plates from in front of them.

"Yeah" Emily questioned.

"I want to teach again" She started. "I was going to apply for the English teacher position at Rosewood High but I wanted to make sure it was okay with you before I did"

"Of course" Emily exclaimed with furrowed brows. "Why wouldn't it be"she chuckled, a little put off that Aria seemed so nervous telling her.

"I just felt….I should ask you first you know, make sure your comfortable with us working together" Aria smiled.

"Yeah, Aria I would love to work with you" The chemistry teacher grinned.

"That's great, hI'm going to go there straight away and hand in my application, will you give me a ride to the school? Ezra took Jane to my parents house so I have no car" Aria asked.

"Yeah of course" Emily smiled in response before the two woman stood up and made their way towards the counter to pay for their food.

After Aria got her teaching degree in college she moved to boston where she started her first teaching job. Ezra was traveling around the same time and one night at a poetry reading in a little bar near Arias apartment they ran into each other. Their feelings for one another resurfaced and it was that night their relationship was reborn. Ezra moved to Boston and while living there the two published a novel together. They eloped in Italy a year later and when they visited Rosewood soon after, the two decided to move back to the town they both knew and loved to be closer to their friends and family. They travelled a lot after the publication of their novel and it became a number 1 bestseller. The success had inspired both writers to publish they first solo novels which had been purchased by their publication company before they even started writing. The brunette had always planned to teach in Rosewood but got a little caught up with being co-owner of the brew, a published author and full time mommy. But with a lot of persuasion from her husband, Aria finally decided to give in and apply for a position as Rosewood Highs new English teacher.

* * *

"Noah could you bring me your sisters changing bag please" Ali called from her bedroom where she was changing Haven for what felt like the twentieth time so far today. "Noah" she shouted while trying to sooth the restless baby on the bed in front of her.

The blonde immediately became alarmed when there was no response from her nephew, probably because in her experience with the four year old, no response was never a good thing. She carefully lifted the whining two month old up from the bed, rubbing circles on her back to sooth her while she made her way out of the room in search of Noah.

"Come on Noah where are you" She called out as she made her way down the stairs.

Ali searched the kitchen and the living room but there was no sign of the little brunette anywhere. At this point her pulse had become rapid and Havens continuous screaming wasn't helping the situation. She placed the sobbing two month old into her playpen and quickly ran towards the front door.

"Noah" she shouted "Noah where are you?" she repeated while pacing up and down the front porch, one hand running through her messy hair and the other placed firmly on her chest. The blonde was completely hysterical, her breaths were becoming fast and rapid as she ran around the house opening the doors to every closet, every pantry and even the basement. How could she tell Spencer, or anyone else for that matter that Noah had managed to run away in the five minutes she left him alone to change Haven.

Havens screams were getting louder and louder with every passing second. Ali waddled towards her and quickly picked her up, bouncing her on her hip and trying desperately to sooth her as she frantically made her way into the kitchen. The blonde swung open the back door and let out a deep breath of relief when she walked outside.

"Noah, what are you doing out here?" she breathed out with her gaze held on the little brunette who sat contently on the steps spooning chocolate spread into his mouth.

"Sorry" he pouted before licking his fingers in satisfaction.

Ali stood there trying to get her breathing under control while Havens screams began to subside. The little brunette quickly dipped his hand into the jar when Ali took it away and his eyes sparkled when she saw his chocolate covered fingers.

"Come on let's go inside" The blonde sighed, pushing the door open with her elbow and making a tunnel for the four year old to pass under.

About an hour later and many failed attempts at putting Haven down for a nap, Noah was becoming restless and was beginning to misbehave for Ali. The twenty-six week pregnant blonde was becoming extremely flustered so decided it was best for them all to get out of the house for a while.

By the time they got home from there evening stroll it was 5pm. Ali looked at her phone when she got inside to see a message from Emily that read 'working late' and Ali could only leave out a deep sigh in response because it had already been such a long day and she was counting on Emily to help her for bedtime.

Ali started to settle the kids down at around 6. Haven had drifted off on the without a fight while Noah persuaded his aunt to let him stay downstairs to watch a movie.

The blonde was beyond exhausted. The twins kicking had been keeping her up the past few nights and running around all day after a toddler and attending to the needs of a two month old had drained her energy level completely.

The two lay on the chair in the front room wrapped in a blanket, the blonde trying with all her efforts to fight off sleep while the TV played in the background.

"Let's go to bed" Ali yawned while sitting up on the chair and shutting the tv off with the remote.

"I'm not tired" Noah mumbled with a husky voice, continuing to lay on the chair and sip on his beaker of tea.

"Noah, bedtime come on" Ali softly demanded to the four year old who just lay there looking into the distance, pretending not to hear a word that was leaving the blondes mouth.

"I'm hungry" he finally responded, hoping his words would delay bedtime a little while longer.

Ali let out another deep yawn and ran her fingers through her ruffled hair "You want cereal?"

Ali sat across from Noah on the kitchen island, her head slouched tiredly in her hand as she watched the little brunette spoon cheerios into his mouth one at a time. Ali's mind drifted back to the weekend after their twenty-week scan. How she longed right at this moment to be back in New York, relaxing on the rooftop restaurant or strolling through Central Park with the love of her life.

The loud ring from her phone startled her from her reminiscing and when she picked it up she saw it was another message from her wife.

 _ **Sorry I'm so late. I'll make it up to you I promise. xxx -Emily**_

She switched her phone off and placed it face down on the kitchen island before burying her face in her hands. "How about we go upstairs and I read you a story" he coaxed her nephew.

Noah looked up to his aunt, slowly spooning the last few Cheerios into his mouth. Ali smiled at him, he was such a bright child and very mature for his age. He knew exactly what he wanted and wasn't afraid to fight for it, like how he had managed to persuade her to let him stay up for a little while and suddenly it's an hour later. He was a mini version of his mother, he made a case and fought until he got his way.

Noah's bright blue orbs met Ali's, she knew he was thinking hard, trying to figure out what he wanted. Did he want another bowl of Cheerios? Did he want to watch another movie? Or did he want to go upstairs and listen to her read him a story?

"Okay" Noah finally responded with a yawn, sliding his bowl across the table to Ali and shuffling off the chair.

* * *

Emily's day just went from bad to worse. She had been in a foul mood since her hectic morning and her students being defiant after lunch had tipped her stress levels to their peak. On top of that she had to meet with all her swimmers after school because of a rumour spreading around RHS that someone had been taking performance enhancing drugs. Just as she was making her way to her office to get her things to go home she was stopped by one of her colleagues, Laura, who asked her to supervise an after school study session that had been organised for seniors and she couldn't exactly refuse because Laura was always there whenever Emily needed a favor.

It was almost 8:30 when Emily finally got the opportunity to flee the halls of RHS. She had no idea what kind of a mood Ali was going to be in when she walked through the door and to be honest she wasn't too eager to find out. Emily had been the one that volunteered to take the kids when Spencer and Toby went out of town but it was Ali left to do all the work.

Emily felt a sense of relief when she walked into the darkness of her home. After the shitty day she had she was in no mood to to be listening to baby screams...Or trying to persuade her persistent nephew to go to bed...Or worse, facing the wrath of Ali for leaving her alone with the kids all day. Emily debated between sitting in the living room and watching the sports headlines with a large bag of chips, or just heading straight to bed and get a good night's sleep.

The brunette traipsed up to her bedroom, reaching her hands high above her head and yawning when she reached the top of the stairs. Firstly she peeked her head into the guest room to check on Noah, then to the nursery where Haven was still sleeping soundly in one of the cribs. When she walked through the door of the bedroom she smiled. Ali was curled up on the bed, not even under the covers and still wearing her clothes and shoes . Her hands were clutched on her stomach and the sight melted Emily's heart. She felt immensely sorry that she had left Ali with the kids all day and didn't mind that she would probably end up paying for it tomorrow. The brunette undressed her soundly sleeping wife, earning a few groans from her while replacing her clothes with a long, oversized T-Shirt that had 'I grow twins, what's your superpower' printed on it. Emily had got it for her, along with a few others when they were in New York a few weeks before.

Emily quietly got into the bed and like every night, placed two kisses on Ali's stomach and one on her lips. After covering both her and the blonde with the duvet she gently threw her hand over Ali's waist and pulled her wife closer, breathing in the smell of coconut shampoo off the blonde locks before drifting off into a much needed sleep.

* * *

Like every night this week, It started with one kick, then the second and before Ali knew it her stomach was twitching furiously. She looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table next to her, rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands to get a clearer view. 2:48am. At least she had managed to fit in a few hours of sleep. But she still felt exhausted. She contemplated waking Emily since the brunette was in fact the only one who was able to stop the kicking by either singing to the girls or talking to them but decided not to because she had to be up in a few hours for work.

The blonde tossed and turned for the best part of an hour and when the kicking finally subsided she braced herself, hoping it had stopped for the night.

Ali closed her eyes and the next time she opened them was when she felt someone pinching her nose. Startled, she jerked her head up, breathing deeply in relief when she saw it was just Noah. He stood there with tears filling his eyes and his teddy, Franco, clutched tightly against his chest.

"What's wrong?" Ali cooed, sitting up straight on the bed and switching on the lamp on the bedside table.

Noah tried to swallow the sob in his throat but was unsuccessful. "I…..I had a bad dream" he cried as tears began to stream down his pale face.

"Its okay...shhh... its okay." The blonde pulled the little brunette up next to her and took him in her arms.

"Im….Im scared" he rasped with a tuc in his heart.

After calming the four year old down Ali guided him back to bed, reassuring him that no monsters lived in the house by opening the closet and checking under the bed, and when Noah still seemed uneasy, repeating this process three more times. She lay in the bed with Noah wrapped in her arms, running her fingers through his brunette hair while soothing him to sleep. Just when the exhausgkted blonde thought he had drifted off to sleep his blue eyes met hers. "Can I have a beaker of tea"

Ali slouched back onto the bed, turning her head to the side to read the alarm clock. 4:18. She exhaled deeply and pulled the covers up over her body, smiling when Emily's hand found its usual spot clutching her stomach and just as she closed her eyes, Havens screams rippled throughout the house.

Emily began to stir next to her and opened her eyes but Ali was already sitting up. "I'll get her" she yawned with her hand on the brunettes shoulder.

The pregnant blonde quickly waddled towards the nursery, well aware that she would have to make another trip down stairs since Haven was most likely crying for a bottle. She thought the two month old had slept through the night without waking to be fed but quickly realised Emily had handled the last feeding when she saw the empty bottle on the floor next to the rocking chair.

Ali continued rubbing small circles on the sobbing two month olds back as she made her way towards the kitchen, grabbing the 5oz bottle from the fridge and placing it in the electronic bottle warmer Spencer had packed. The little girl latched onto the bottle immediately and Ali dropped her head back in relief when the baby screams turned into suckling and little grunts and gurgles.

The blonde gazed down at her little niece while feeding her. The little blue eyes slowly fluttered open and closed. She was a mini version of her mother with the eyes of her father. Her sandy hair was beginning to grow and the little cleft in her chin was the cutest thing Ali had ever seen.

* * *

When Emily opened her eyes she was facing the window, only she could sense her wife wasn't there. She turned around and felt Ali's side of the bed, it was cold and Emily had the feeling the blonde had been out of it a while. She did what she always did when Ali wasn't in bed, she checked the kitchen because that was where she was almost always guaranteed to find her.

Ali cleared her throat and quickly wiped a stray tear from her face when she saw Emily walk through the living room door. "Hey"

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Emily asked, walking over and taking a seat on the sofa next to Ali.

Ali sat there calmly staring at the hem of Her oversized t-shirt. Then, slowly her shoulders started to shake. She shut her eyes and dropped her back. At first, Emily thought she was crying, but then she realised she was laughing.

Ali brought her head back down and looked at her confused wife "What's wrong? Are you really asking me what's wrong" she said still stifling her laughter.

Emily sat with furrowed brows. Her eyes dropped to Ali's stomach."It's the girls isn't it, are they kicking again?"

Ali's bottom lip began trembling "I'm just so tired...I don't...I don't think I can do this" she mumbled, standing up from the chair with an expression on her face like she had just been hit with a wave of realisation.

Emily opened her mouth to speak but was quickly interrupted by the blonde.

"I mean really, I can't do this" the blonde breathed out, pacing back and forth in her wife.

"Ali Wha..."

"I almost lost a four year old today Emily, I….I couldn't change a two month olds shitty diaper without running to the bathroom to throw up and I'm just...I'm just so….fucking…..tired" Ali blurted out with her hand held up to Emily, stopping her each time she tried to talk. "And now...now I'm going to have to watch you settle the girls kicking by singing to them, or talking to them, and that is really going to piss me off because I've been trying to do that the past hour"

Emily stood up and placed her hands on the blondes shoulder "Ali...Take a breath."

She guided the blonde back to the chair and sat down, wiping the tears from the side of her face. "Ali, Ali look at me. Look at me" the brunette softly demanded. "You can do this babe. We can do this. You just had a bad day, I mean really I don't blame you. It wasn't fair of me to leave you alone with the kids when I knew how hard they can be to handle" she pushed a blonde lock behind Ali's ear and then held both her hands in hers.

Ali shook her head furiously "But even with the girls. Your their biological mother and already share a special bond with them. They stop kicking when they hear your voice They...They mightn't even like me when their born" she sniffled.

"Don't say that Ali they will love you. Once they are born genetics won't matter, all that will matter is that our girls will have two mommies that love them more than anything else in the world" Emily smiled "And your the one that's growing them inside of you, your the one that is carrying them and if you ask me that's a pretty special bond to share"

Ali closed her eyes, allowing tears to stream down her face. "But what if I was right, what if I'm not cut out to be a mom."

"Really...you think your not cut out to be a mom" Emily shook her head. "Ali your a natural. You managed to get Noah to bed before 9 I mean, Spencer and Toby can barely do that. You know by the sound of Havens cry whether she's looking for a bottle, or needs to be changed, or when she just needs attention." the brunette stated as a matter of fact.

Ali's worried expression quickly changed to a smile while the brunette continued talking.

"If there's anyone on this planet that's more cut out to be a mother it's you. I mean I'm scared as hell for the twins to come, but what makes me feel better is that I know I'm not in this alone, I have you. We have each other. I mean I freaked out last week when Jane was getting sick, I was on the verge of a panic attack but you were so calm, you picked her up and settled her while I ran around being useless" Emily smiled earning a chuckle from the blonde. "And I know that our girls are going to be so lucky to have you as a mommy" She finished with a wide smile

"You...you really mean that" Ali sniffled with a wide smile plastered across her face.

"Of course I mean it." She pulled the blonde into her arms and placed a kiss on the side of her face.

"Hey I thought of the cutest name today" Emily mumbled over Ali's shoulder.

"Really? What is it?" Ali smiled, pulling herself away from the hug and looking at the brunette.

"So you know the way Ellie sounds like my name" Emily started.

"Yeah" Ali nodded

"I was thinking the other name sound sound like yours"

Ali looked at her wife with furrowed brows and a smile. "Sound like mine?"

The brunette took Ali's hands in hers "What do you think about Madison"

"Madison...I love it" Ali chuckled.

"Madison Dilaurentis Fields" Emily smiled.

"Ellie and Madison Dilaurentis Fields" Ali whispered down to her stomach with a wide grin on her face.

* * *

 **Not long more until we get to meet Ellie and Madison. Hope you like reading this story as much as I like writing it. Xx**


	10. Lets go meet our girls

**I love reading your reviews so keep them coming:) again that's to everyone who took the time to read this story, I hope your enjoying it and stay with me until the end. I have the next chapter started so I'll try to get it out as fast as I can. It's a long chapter, over 10,000 words and it's Rated M for mature themes. Its a long one so Hope you enjoy:) xx**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Let's Go Meet Our Girls**

It was a Saturday afternoon and Alison was relaxing in bed, fully enthralled in the latest edition of vogue in front of her when Emily walked out of their steamy ensuite bathroom, half naked with nothing but a tiny towel barely covering her toned body. The blonde watched over the magazine as the dripping wet brunette made her way to the middle of the bedroom with a confused expression on her face and her hand scratching her chin.

"Do you know where my new red, lacy thong is?" Emily rasped before biting down on her bottom lip.

Ali cleared her throat but Emily interrupted her before she could speak. "You know what it's fine i'll just wear that hot pink g-string you so madly love on me"

When Emily walked towards the wardrobe she could feel her wifes eyes on her so she slowly lifted her arms high above her head, pretending to reach for the container on top of the wardrobe and purposely allowing her napkin size towel fall to the ground.

"Whoops" she sang with wide eyes and a her hand to her mouth. She watched as Ali dropped the magazine from her hand and curved her lips into lustful grin.

The brunette wanted nothing more than to have her way with Ali right now and she felt this was the best way to do it. Every time Emily went to make a move the past few days Ali would pull away and say she's too tired or just make up some excuse. She understood that her wife was pregnant and all that but she missed the days at the beginning of the pregnancy when Ali would practically attack her in bed, or anywhere else for that matter. Like that time in Spencer's lake house on New Year's Eve when Alison threw the brunette on the old granite worktop and attacked her tanned body with her tongue. They even had a quickie in the bathroom at that fancy restaurant they all went to on New Year's Day. But Ali was so moody and unpredictable lately and Emily was getting mixed signals off her all the time. She got a text last Monday at swim practice from the blonde saying 'I'm hungry come feed me' with a tongue emoji and a wink at the end and when the brunette got her hopes up and rushed home thinking she was going to get the five star treatment off Ali, She walked into the house to find that her wife was in fact actually hungry for food and not her like she had hoped. On top of that Alis hormones were crazy and Emily felt like they were affecting her just as much as her wife. Like last week for example when they went out for a meal with Aria and Ezra, one minute they were all laughing away to eachother and the next Ali was having a face off with a waiter who looked at her funny when she ordered seconds. But overall Emily didn't mind, after all Ali was in fact growing their little girls inside of her and if crazy hormones and dramatic mood swings were the price to pay then bring them on.

Ali shuffled forward on the bed and gazed hungrily up and down the tanned body that stood in front of her. She bit down on her bottom lips as she thought of all the things she wanted to do to Emily right now. Even after all these years the blonde still felt those familiar flutters in her stomach when she saw her wife naked.

She stood up from the bed and met the brunettes lips with a hungry kiss. She cupped a handful of Emily's breast with one hand and pulled on her hair with the other. Emily's body began to shiver at her wife's touch and she she quickly unbuttoned Ali's satin pyjamas shirt revealing her completely naked body underneath. The blonde shuffled out of her top, then trailed both her hands down to Emily's backside and groped her ass firmly as she deepened the kiss. She swirled Emily around and threw her onto the bed and Emily moaned as the blonde got on top of her and began sucking on her pulse point. The swim coach needed every inch of her wife right now and every inch was exactly what she was getting. Ali let out a small whimper as Emily scratched her nails roughly down her back. The blonde reacted by moving her face towards Emily and biting the tanned woman's bottom lip. Things got even rougher when Emily began tugging at the blonde locks and sucking hardly on her neck, leaving a few red marks each time her lips moved to a different area. The blonde beauty quickly ran her right hand down to her wife's soaking wet centre, shuffling uncomfortable to try to get her hand past her large bump that rested on Emily's stomach. Just as Ali began to build a rhythm between Emily's legs the brunette moaned and squeezed her pregnant wife's breasts roughly with both hands and that was when Ali quickly pulled her body away from Emily's with a loud whimper.

"What's wrong?" Emily breathed out, looking at her naked wife kneeling in front of her on the bed with her breasts held in her hands.

"I told you last time" Ali huffed in response.

Emily looked at her wife with a raised eyebrow while her chest heaved as she tried to control her breathing. "What Ali?….Told me What?"

Alison cleared her throat and began picking at the thread on the corner of the ruffled bed sheets "My….My boobs...There really sensitive"

Emily couldn't stop herself from leaving out a small giggle at Ali's words. "Heat of the moment Babe...I forgot"

"It's not funny" Ali pouted and the look on her face only made Emily chuckle harder which Ali responded to by quickly shuffling away from the brunette and sitting at the side of the bed with her arms crossed.

"No. Ali please I'm sorry" the chemistry teacher smirked, still stifling her laughter while crawling towards the blonde. She took a deep breath trying to composed herself and then began lightly scratching Ali's back. "I'm sorry"

Ali stood up from the bed and quickly wrapped Emily's night gown around her body. "Whatever"

"Where are you going" the brunette questioned, grabbing Ali's hand to prevent her from making her escape.

"For a shower" the blonde huffed.

"What about…." Emily trailed off while biting her bottom lip and allowing her hand trail down her own body but Ali just looked at her icily.

"I'm SUDDENLY not in the mood"

"Ali please I need this" Emily complained, gripping the blondes hand tighter. "...I'm horny"

Ali yanked her hand away and stomped to the bathroom "You've got a hand don't you"

"Can I atleast get in the shower with you?" the brunette shouted while striding towards the bathroom door but by the time she got to it Ali slammed it in her face.

Emily groaned loudly as she grabbed Ali's satin pyjamas top from the floor and threw it on her. This only proved how unpredictable Ali was lately. How had they gone from rolling around naked in the bed to Ali storming out and telling Emily to DIY herself. The swim coach considered jumping into bed and exaggerating her moans while she masterbated to see if it would get her anywhere with Ali but she SUDDENLY wasn't in the mood anymore and decided to just get ready to go to Hanna's house in a few hours.

* * *

"Ali would you hurry up, we're late" Emily shouted from the bottom of the stairs, still in a foul mood from being left hanging dry earlier.

"We wouldn't be late if you hadn't given me so many hickeys to cover up" Ali replied icily with an eye roll as she waddled down the stairs.

Since the girls would in fact have to act civil to each other at Hanna's house, Emily decided it would be best to forget about earlier and try to make it up with Ali.

"Hey that top is beautiful on you" she smiled to her wife.

"Whatever" the blonde huffed as she trailed towards the front door and made her way to their car.

Emily inhaled a deep breath while pinching the bridge of her nose. She could already tell that this dinner or whatever Hanna was doing for them was going to turn into a disaster if Ali's mood didn't improve soon.

The girls pulled up outside the rivers household a little after five. On the way Emily had tried to communicate with Ali repeatedly but was met by radio silence each time.

"You know if anything it's me who should be ignoring you, after all you left me hanging dry and then told me to DIY myself" Emily stated as a matter of fact before checking her makeup in the overhead mirror.

"You laughed at my boobs" Ali mumbled with crossed arms and a frown on her face.

"Actually I didn't I laughed at…."

"We're late" the 29-week pregnant, hormonal blonde interrupted before stepping out of the car and waddling towards the door of the Rivers' house.

Ali's slow mobility allowed Emily to catch up easily and the two walked up to the house together. Emily placed a short knock on the front door and the two of them walked inside.

"Why is it dark?" Ali questioned while flipping on the living room lights.

"SURPRISEEEEEE" Everyone shouted.

"What...what is this?" Ali stuttered with her hand to her heart.

"Oh my god" Emily breathed, leaning over with both her hands on her knees and a wide grin on her face.

"What took you so long, we've all been sitting in the dark the past 20 minutes" Pam laughed as she walked towards both women and pulled them in for a hug.

The girls walked further into the living room where Spencer, Aria and Hanna lined up to hug the mothers to be. Ezra, Caleb, Toby and Wayne stood to the side with their beer bottles in their hands allowing the girls to have their moment. After everyone settled down Ali scanned her eyes around the room, there were pink balloons and baby shower banners everywhere and her eyes caught sight of the specially made poster which had an enlarged picture of the girls latest ultrasound and underneath it in large pink letters was 'Ellie and Madison Dilaurentis Fields'

"You guys, seriously this is amazing. You really went all out" Ali exclaimed as she trailed around the room and she had to admit she was holding back tears.

"It was all Pam and Hanna" Spencer grinned with her arms crossed and her red wine held firmly between her fingers.

"I expect no less from those two" Emily grinned with her arm around her mothers back.

After a few moments of light conversation between the group and Emily and Alison gushing over the surprise baby shower, Caleb made his way to the kitchen after offering everyone another drink.

"Okay so let's get this party started" Hanna cheered as she danced towards the middle of the room.

"So first things first" Pam announced as everyone made their way to the huge kitchen at the back of the rivers house that was decorated with even more balloons, streamers and banners. "We're going to start this shower off with a game called _'don't say baby'_ For the rest of the night you must abstain from saying the word ' _baby'._ Whoever says it is out and the winner gets a couples spa weekenddd" the older woman sang, earning cheering from the group and a competitive look shared between Hanna and Spencer as they all took a seat. "Now we have a lot of games planned for tonight, so their are plenty of oppurtunities to win one of the many prizes up for grabs...Theres the baby food game, the ice cube game"

"And of course my favourite one of the night which is ' _bobbing for nipples_ '"Hanna interupted while ruffling Caleb's hair as he took a seat next to her, twisting open the cap of his new beer bottle.

"Bobbing for nipples?" Emily chuckled with raised brows.

"Yeah...bobbing for nipples" Hanna smirked. She leaned over to Emily and whispered loudly "I bet you'd love that one Em".

Emily widened her eyes and looked around to see who had heard. Luckily her parents were talking quietly with Aria and Caleb seemed to be the only one who heard.

Hanna laughed at Emilys expression and continued speaking. "So basically we all get into teams. There are five buckets in the corner that will be filled with water and 10 bottle nipples, whoever is the first to pull out all the nipples with their mouth, Blindfolded, wins a prize"

"So here is a cup for everyone. In each cup is an ice cube with a little baby figure inside it" Pam called out as she distributed the cups.

"You said baby" Aria announced, her eyes wide open in realisation.

"So did you!" Pam laughed.

"Two down already...Jeez that was fast" Hanna jokingly scoffed over the laughter, trying to hide the tight lipped smile appearing on her face.

"Anywayyy" the grandmother to be announced with a joking eye roll "Whoever's ice cube melts first must pull out the little baby figure and yell ' _my water broke'"_

"Okay while ye are all waiting for your waters to break we have a drinking game called 'drink up, baby'" Hanna added.

"You said ba...the word" Spencer stuttered before cheering and clapping her hands since her rival competitor was out of the way.

"Fuck" Hanna cursed under her breath resulting in the group to erupt into laughter at the look of defeat on the blondes face. Hanna continued to shuffle around the circle handing each person a baby bottle filled with diluted vodka. "Now Ali of course since your pregnant you can't drink vodka. Soooo. Pam and I decided it was only fair if we filled your one with _prune_ juice"

"Oh god" Ali gagged.

"I'd happily take vodka over prune juice any day" Toby chimed in.

"Heck yeah" Ezra chuckled.

"How strong is this stuff?" Emily questioned while eyeing the little bottle curiously.

"Not too strong" Pam added. "It's mainly just orange juice"

Emily couldn't help but let her eyes trail over to the guilty look on Hannas face when Pam was talking but before she could ask questions entire group counted down from three and began chugging the contents of the bottles. It wasn't as easy as it looked though, Hanna had managed to slip in an extra ounce of vodka when Pam wasn't looking so the drink was stronger than it should have been and their jaws quickly started to tire since the nipples on the bottle would only allow so much liquid to leave at a time. It was a battle of the sexes between Emily and Toby and two seconds before the the chemistry teacher the police officer raised his empty bottle high above his head and cheered before quickly rinsing his mouth with the beer next to him.

The group erupted into cheering while Pam handed Toby one of the many envelopes in the middle of the table and walked towards the kitchen island with a smile across her face.

Even though the game was over, everyone continued to chug their vodka and Hanna even refilled hers and Spencer's with an extra few ounces and had a ' _friendly_ ' competition to see who could down it first. It was a draw between them which only made Hanna more competitive and eager to beat Spencer at at least one game tonight.

"Everybody Pick a partnerrrr" Hanna sang over the conversation that had started between everyone after her and Spencers race.

"Wanna go with me baby" Caleb grinned to the blonde while puckering his lips together for a kiss.

"You said baby" Ezra yelled, pulling his wife onto his lap.

"You did too" Wayne chimed in before swigging back a mouthful of beer.

"Fuck sake babe I really wanted that spa weekend" Hanna joked, gently slapping Calebs face away, not even acknowledging that his lips were still pursed together.

"So we're all with our sexual partners that's what I expected" Hanna casually announced while everyone, including Pam, who heard as she walked towards the group holding a basket filled with baby stuff laughed.

Everyone looked at Hanna as she stood up and explained the next game. Emily reached her hand to Ali's and gave it a gently squeeze before both of them smiled at each other.

"I'm sorry for earlier" the blonde whispered.

"I'm sorry too" Emily smiled as she took the blondes lips in hers for a lingering kiss.

"Break it up you two. There's plenty of time for that later." Hanna clicked her fingers as she continued explaining the baby food game. Emily jokingly rolled her eyes and Ali smiled her classic dimpled smile. Hanna was always so straight forward with everything.

While everyone got into positions with their partners Hanna pulled her chair in front of Caleb's. "Okay so with your partners one of you hold the spoon in your mouth and the other place the bib around your neck."

The objective of the game was for each group to try to finish the jar of baby food first. One of them had to hold the spoon in their mouth and with no assistance from their hands, spoon the baby food into their partners mouth.

Hanna and Caleb started off strong but slowed down when Caleb had to take a moment to compose himself after Hanna pushed the spoon so far down his throat her lips were nearly touching his. Emily and Ali then took the lead but got passed out by Pam and Wayne when Ali dropped the spoon out of her mouth and onto the floor. It was a battle between Spencer and Aria to finish while the others proceeded to catch up to them pretty quickly. Spencer kept on shouting at Toby to hurry up spooning it out and Toby got so flustered he hit the spoon off every part of his wife's face besides her mouth. When Aria stopped to cheer that she was winning Hanna spooned the last spoon of the sweet potato and carrot flavoured baby food into her husbands mouth and won the game.

"I won...yeah...Yeah I won" Hanna sang as she swayed her hips and danced with her hands above her head before leaning down and wiping the baby food teasingly off Spencer's nose.

"What kind of baby food is this?" Wayne asked with a disgusted face after he dipped his finger into the jar and tasted it.

Emily's eyes widened when she heard her dad speak and quickly swallowed the contents of her mouth. "DAD" she coughed. "YOUR OUT YOU SAID THE B WORD"

"So that just leaves Spence, Toby and the mothers to be" Pam smiled.

"MY WATER BROKE!" Ali yelled.

Wayne and Emily, forgetting that they were playing a game shot up off their chairs and ran towards the blonde. The group erupted into laughter when they saw the confused look shared between father and daughter when they saw Ali stifling her laughter and opening and closing her mouth trying to compose herself to talk.

"Awwwww sweetie are you okay?" Pam laughed as she walked towards her husband who's face had quickly turned a shade paler.

"I'm sorry baby" Ali smiled with her hand gently squeezing Emily's.

"Hah Ali your out" Toby cheered.

Spencer high fived her husband and looked at everyone with a competitive smile. "One down one to go"

"What?" Emily asked with furrowed brows, pretending to have missed out on what just happened.

"Ali said baby" Toby chimed in before casually sipping his beer bottle.

"And So did you" the brunette bit back with a sneaky smile plastered across her face.

Toby's face dropped and he looked at his wife with wide eyes and a toothy grin. Spencer just scoffed with a smile and rolled her eyes before pressing her lips off her wine glass and taking back a large gulp.

"Ohh Spencer versus Emily...this will be interesting" Aria called out.

"There both so competitive….it could be a close one" Ezra nudged Wayne as he sat back down on his seat and took a few deep breaths after the scare he just had.

"Here you go babe" Hanna said over her laughter at Emily's sneaky trick, handing Ali an envelope identical to the one everyone else received.

"Okay Pam let's get the nipples ready" Hanna clapped as her and the older woman made their way towards the kitchen sink, and with the help of Wayne filled the five buckets with water and tossed ten bottle nipples into each.

"Okay so after this game feel free to take as many nipples home with you as you want because Im not going to have any use for all fifty of them" Hanna called out from the counter.

"You can never have enough of those" Spencer added.

"Yeah, Jane used always chew on them in her sleep and She would be covered in milk the next morning" Aria chimed in.

"Evie does the exact same" Hanna complained, throwing her eyes to the sky. "Especially when she's teething"

After a few minutes of chatter between the girls Spencer popped open another bottle of wine and filled all their glasses, while Ali sat there sipping on her sparkling water, internally wishing it was something else.

"Choose a partner to dunk their heads into the ' _icy_ ' cold water." Wayne said with a smirk from the sink as Caleb, Toby and Ezra walked over and helped put the buckets on the floor.

"Not me, I'm not messing up my makeup" Aria sat back with folded arms.

Hanna nodded her head while swallowing wine in her mouth "Me either, no thank you"

"Toby why don't you take one for the team" Spencer insisted.

Ali and Emily stared at each other for a few seconds. "Don't look at me...im pregnant" the blonde laughed.

"Pregnancy is an excuse for everything babe high five" Aria grinned while the rest laughed.

Cheering and yelling echoed around the house as Toby, Ezra, Pam, Emily and Caleb dunked their faces into the icy cold water to retrieve the nipples. Ezra destroyed everyone when he got all the nipples out of the bucket more than five seconds before everyone else.

"Whooooooo"!Aria cheered, bending down and kissing her husbands soaking wet face.

Once everyone dried their faces off and calmed down after the highly intense game of bobbing nipples Wayne and Hanna took the large cake out of the fridge and started distributing it between the group. The cake was beautiful, it had two tiers and was covered in white icing with pink swirls and butterflies scattered around it. On the top was a grey elephant and little pink and purple blocks made of icing which spelled out Ellie and Madison. It was chocolate Swiss roll flavoured and everyone loved it. They also got a box of cupcakes decorated with all different designs like baby faces and bows and each one was a different flavour. After about a half an hour in the kitchen eating cake, drinking alcohol and chatting, Pam called them all to the living room to open the gifts. The group walked inside with their drinks in their hands and all took a seat around the huge pile of gifts near window.

Spencer and Toby were the first to hand their presents to the girls. They gave them a toy chest that was handmade by Toby and painted by Spencer to match the nursery. Inside it was an assortment of items such as bibs, pacifiers with little stuffed animals hanging off then, pyjamas, headbands, hats and different types of toys. On top of it was a set of electric baby camera monitors, a breast milk pump, diapers, wipes and two blooming bath tubs that all of them said were the best things ever.

"You guys, thank you so much" Ali gushed.

"This is too much" Emily grinned.

Spencer took tobys hand in hers and smiled. "With everything you two have done and gotten for our little ones you deserve it"

Next up was Hanna and Caleb. They got the girls a huge box of newborn pampers and a playpen. On top of the pampers box was two baskets, inside each was a little pink bathrobe, one with Ellie printed of the back and the other with Madison. The baskets were also filled with an assortment of beautiful designer outfits, headbands and a little pair of shoes each. Everyone, even the boys were aweing and gushing at the cuteness of the little dresses, bows and shoes.

"Oh my god...These are the cutest!" Ali grinned while holding up the custom made bathrobes.

"I had too, you should see Evie waddling around the house in hers it's the cutest thing ever" Hanna grinned.

"It is" Caleb agreed with a soft smile.

Emily looked at all the outfits Hanna and Caleb had gotten them. "I can't wait to dress the girls in these"

"I got 0-3 months in a few of them because its that age when their not spitting up every ten seconds" Hanna laughed. '" figured that out the hard way when I got Evie a load of custom made newborn dresses and they barely lasted ten minutes on her before I had to change her into something else"

"That was the same with Jane" Aria nodded before leaning forwards and tossing a few peanuts into her mouth. "I ended up leaving her wearing nothing but a diaper half the time because it was just easier."

"Yeah, Noah was always so messy when he was a baby" Spencer added.

The girls began smiling as they thought back to when their kids were newborns. They were all laughing at the memories of exploding shitty diapers and mashed potato in their kids hair before Caleb's eyes widened in realisation and he almost choked on the beer in his mouth "You said Baby…..Spencer said baby" he continued after he composed himself.

Everyone laughed at the defeated look on Spencer's face, She had kept the conversation going with the girls hoping no one had noticed her little slip but Caleb was smart enough to catch it.

"Congratulations Emmy, you are the proud new owner of the couples spa weekend at the Radley, cortesy of Ashley Marin." Wayne smiled.

After all the laughing and cheering dyed down Emily and Ali looked gratefully at the pile of gifts in front of them. "This is just….Amazing" Emily smiled, wiping a stray tear from her cheek.

Ali placed her hand on Emilys and gave it a gently squeeze. "Thanks guys"

"Like what Spence said, ye both deserve it, you have done so much for all of us and I plan to do the same for Ellie and Madison" Hanna smiled sincerely.

"Amen to that" Ezra cheered.

"To Emily and Alison" Toby held his beer bottle in the air.

"To Emily and Alison" everyone repeated.

Aria and Ezra's turn came next. They got the twins two custom made hampers, in each was a snow white fluffy blanket, a teddy bear, bottle scrubbers, pacifiers, bibs and a load of toiletries like baby powder, baby oil, creams, wipes and bubble bath. Next to the hampers were a few children's books, two mirrors for in front of the carseats and a changing bag which Aria had filled with pyjamas, vests and onesies.

"No way!" Ali exclaimed with wide eyes when she flicked through one of the books.

"What?" Emily asked with another in her hand.

"Look" Ali smiled over to Aria when she handed Emily the book.

"Oh my god" Emily whispered to herself. Aria had literally written a children's book, which starred the twins, Noah, Evie, Jane and Haven.

"No way" Hanna exclaimed when she saw the cover, jumping up from her seat and walking towards Emily to see the book.

It was then that Ezra pulled up two more bags from his side and handed them too Caleb and Spencer.

"This is amazing" Spencer gushed as her and Toby read through the book that Ezra gave them.

"Is it an actual book" Caleb questioned curiously.

"Yeah, pages and all" Ezra joked with his arm around his wife, pulling her closer.

Caleb laughed and shook his head.

"It's not published if that's what you mean" Aria added with a soft smile. "It's just a little something for all of us"

"Babe this is so good. Oh my god" Hanna gushed from her position behind Emily's chair where she stood gazing down at the book "I can't wait to read it to Evie tonight"

"I though she's staying at your moms" Caleb questioned with a twinge of hope that Hanna hadn't changed her mind.

"Oh shit yeah, I'll read it to her tomorrow" she said before biting her bottom lip and eyeing Caleb who sat there with a lustful look on his face. There was no way they were letting anything get in the way of the night they had planned tonight.

Last up for the gift giving was Pam and Wayne. They went all out, getting the girls two pink bassinets, each filled with baby spoons, baby bottles, pacifiers, bibs, diapers, wipes, some onesies and a few pyjamas. Just when Ali and Emily thought it couldn't get any better wayne pushed a double stroller towards them. It was one of those carseat strollers they were going to get a few days before but pam had convinced them not to saying they should wait and she would bring them to a better baby shop in Philly first. The stroller was all black with one detachable car seat in front of the other, so Emily's fear of not being able to get through the front door with a double stroller was now long forgotten about. In the first seat was two fluffy grey and white blankets, Ellie was printed on the corner of one and Madison on the other. In the same carseat was a variety of stuffed animals which belonged to Emily when she was a baby, as well as a few more of her old blankets which all held a symbolic meaning to the brunette, she loved the thought that her daughters would be able to use stuff that had belonged to her when she was a baby. In the other carseat was an assortment of baby shampoos and lotions as well as two white towels with little duck hoods on them.

Emily trailed her finger across one of her old baby blankets, it was one of her favourites, white and fluffy with a big panda face on the middle. It even still smelled like baby, no matter how many times Pam had washed it after it's dusty journey in the attic through the years. How lucky was she to have so many people in her life that cared so much. Her eyes met Ali's and she could see by the look on her face that her wife was just as happy as her. At this point Emily was speechless, just a few weeks ago they were dipping into their savings account to get two cribs and a set of drawers and rummaging through Ali's attic to see how much of her baby stuff they could save and now they have everything they need. After the crash the girls were left with a lot of bills from physical therapy and other treatments that insurance wouldn't cover. On top of that they put extra money towards a newer car and also the cost of Ivf. Although they did have a lot of money between them they were never really prepared for the expense that came with twins, it was when they started flicking through catalogues they realised that double everything wouldn't be cheap. But now here they were, 29 weeks pregnant and fully prepared to bring their two little princesses into the world.

'This...I can't….thank you….so much' Ali stuttered, her eyes filled with unshed tears as she played with the ears of Emilys old teddy bear.

"This is….it's too much. You didn't have to" Emily stated while looking at her parents.

"Emmy, these are our grandchildren" Wayne smiled, rubbing circles on his wife's back.

"And it's our job to spoil them, and I can't wait for them to be born at the end of May so we can spoil them even more" Pam chimed in with a smile reaching her eyes.

The girls also got an electric bottle warmer and a bottle steamer from the Hastings, Ella and Byron got them a box of diapers, a box of wipes and two sets which included a onesie, a matching pyjamas, a hat and mittens. Ashley Marin bought the girls two princess pyjamas, some onesies, some vests, bibs, mittens, socks and little slippers. There was also few hampers from some of pams and Wayne's friends.

Soon after the gift opening the men loaded everything into Wayne's truck and with the help of Ali who acted as the designated driver, made two trips to the Dilaurentis-Fields house to load all the stuff out of the truck and into the nursery. Spencer, Hanna, Pam, Aria and Emily stayed at the house and finished off all the cake and wine while chatting to Emily about the joys of motherhood that were all ahead of her in a few weeks.

Emily and Ali had an early start the next Morning. After Breakfast Ali worked on sorting through all the baby clothes and putting them away in their designated spots around the room while Emily put the playpen together. Hanna had got them the newborn edition which came with a section that was higher up but could easily be removed once the girls got old enough to stand up and waddle around. Pam and Wayne called over after lunch and helped out too. Ali worked with the older woman to sort through all of the bath stuff and piles of diapers and after putting all the new bottles, pacifiers and baby spoons into the dishwasher they cleared a shelf in the pantry for them and put them all away. Emily and her dad worked on putting together the electric baby swings that they ordered a few days before and installing the two car seats in the car before folding up the stroller and storing it in the boot of their white SUV. It was around dinner time when they finished sorting through everything so Wayne decided to treat them all to a nice dinner at the new Italian restaurant that opened up near the boutique.

* * *

"So, how was the first birthing class" Aria smiled as she took a seat in the teachers lounge across from Emily.

"Horrible" The swim coach breathed. "Ali is odd with me"

"Why? What happened?" The petite brunette questioned while pouring a packet of sugar into her cup.

Emily rolled her eyes and blew out air from her cheeks. "I just couldn't stop laughing. I mean at first it was just the awkwardness of it all and then Ali throwing me daggers definitely didn't help the situation"

"Oh god" Aria smirked.

"Yeah, and the worst part was when we had to massage our partners ' _glutes_ '. Ali was on her hands and knees and next thing the instructor bent down behind me and whispered into my ear _'Come on give it to her harder, work your fingers up and down and all around and if she's making noises then that means it's working'..._ and at that point I completely lost it"

"Everything is funnier when your not suppose to laugh" Aria chuckled.

"Oh tell me about it" Emily rolled her eyes. "She completely ignored me all night last night and when we were in the kitchen this morning she wouldn't make me coffee, and when Ali doesn't make me coffee thats a no brainer that I've done something to piss her off"

"And her hormones are only going to make her feel one hundred times angrier with you" the English teacher added before raising her cup to her lips and gently blowing it cool.

"Oh Yeah" Emily chuckled while stirring her coffee. "I'm going to make it up to her later though. It's only a few more weeks until the girls arrive and once they do it will be a while before we get a night out sooo...I'm going to ask her out on a date tonight"

Aria swallowed the contents of her mouth and smiled. "Oh really. Where are you brining her"

"I'm going to reserve a table at that French restaurant in Philly that she loves and at lunch I'll see if I can get tickets to something in the theatre or the movies"

"Oh she'll love that" Aria grinned and Emily nodded in response before taking a sip of her coffee.

"Shoot look at the time" Emily exclaimed as her eyes caught sight of the clock above the door frame. "I have to go I need to track down two seniors before first period. I'll see you at lunch"

* * *

"Little help over here" Hanna groaned.

Ali switched her phone off and looked up at the blonde "Sorry"

She made her way over to the ladder where Hanna was standing, struggling to make it down with a huge box in her hands.

"Here look….don't lift it just push it up so I can get a better grip on it" Hanna groaned.

After helping Hanna, Ali walked back over to the counter and sat down. She looked at her phone again to see if she had any texts from Emily. ' _Still nothing'_ she thought to herself. After Emily's immaturity at the pregnancy class yesterday she at least expected an apology.

"What's so interesting on your phone that you have to look at it every ten seconds?" Hanna asked, walking over towards her friend and standing near her with her hand on her hip.

"I'm waiting for an apology from Emily" the blonde replied with her head slouched in her hand.

Hanna jokingly rolled her eyes. "I think you should just let it go, so what if she laughs at the classes. I did"

"And you and Caleb had to find a new one after two weeks" Ali stated as a matter of fact.

"Ya well our instructor was a bitch who couldn't take a joke."

"I'm sure" Ali laughed in response. Just then her phone beeped and she looked at it to see a text from her wife.

 ** _Hey beautiful, what you up to? -Em_**

Ali read the message on her screen and just as she was about to type a response another one popped up.

 _ **I'm sorry about how I acted at the classes last night. I want to make it up to you. How do you feel about dinner and a movie in the city**_ _ **? -Em**_

Ali looked at the message for a few moments, contemplating her answer. Maybe Hanna was right, maybe she was overreacting. She had to admit there were a few times throughout the class when she felt like laughing at what the instructor was saying, or the look on Emily's face when they showed a model pelvis and what happens to it during childbirth, or even Emilys loud gasp for air when they showed how wide the cervix stretches when it's about to birth a child. So Ali quickly typed a response before tossing her phone in her handbag and heading to the bathroom to relieve her bladder for the tenth time so far today.

 _ **It's a date x -Ali**_

* * *

Emily's pulled up outside Hanna's house a little after 5pm. Ali had texted her a little while ago to say that she was getting dressed at Hannas so Emily planned to pick her up there. The brunette walked up to the rivers household and rang the door bell. All of a sudden she felt butterflies in her stomach and her palms started to sweat, for some reason it felt like their first date all over again.

XXXXXXXXXX

 _It had been a little over a week since Ali told Emily how she really felt about her at the kissing rock. T_ _hey kept their relationship between themselves for now and were just enjoying being together. They still hadn't talked about the distance and how hard it would be on their newly found relationship once Emily goes back to California because neither one of them wanted to think about it until the time came in a few weeks. After that night in the nightclub last week they were spending a lot of time together and after Hanna and Caleb came back from New York to spend Christmas with Hanna's mom, Emily could tell their blonde friend was catching on. They planned to tell everyone before Christmas though, but there was something exciting about their 'secret' relationship._

 _Tonight was their first official date and as nervous as both women were, they were equally excited to spend time together outside of Alison's house. Emily walked up the steps of the Dilaurentis household and placed two gently knocks on the door. She stepped back and fixed her dress, then the wrapping on the bunch of flowers she had got Ali, and then her hair. Her palms began to sweat profusely and her mouth was dry. She had never been so nervous for anything in her life._

XXXXXXXXXX

Emily was broken from her daydream When Ali opened the door. The brunette felt her breath get caught in her throat when her eyes caught sight of the blonde. Her wife looked absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. She wore a black, low neck dress that hugged her body in all the right places and adorably showed off her perfectly round baby bump.

"You" Emily cleared her throat and swallowed hard. "You look beautiful"

Ali scanned her eyes up and down Emily's body, admiring the beautiful red, knee length, v-neck red dress she wore that showed off her amazing figure perfectly. The red roses in Emily's hands only made her look even more gorgeous.

"My wife is hot" the blonde breathed before leaning forward and capturing her lips in a lustful kiss. When Ali pulled away she looked at the brunette who had the most adorable, dimpled smile covering her beautiful tanned face.

"These are for you" Emily grinned while handing the blonde the bunch of roses.

"Thank you babe, there gorgeous" Ali admired the flowers and reached her hand forwards to Emily's before Hanna walked up behind them and made her presence known.

"I'm feeling the STEAM ladies" Hanna exclaimed as she stood next to Ali with her arms crossed. "Em, you look AMAZING. Here I'll take these" she grinned as she pulled the roses from Ali's grip as breathed the scent of them deeply through her nose. "I'll put them in water and bring them over tomorrow"

"Thanks Han" Emily smiled.

"No bother. Now Emily I need Ali home before eleven, Okay" Hanna joked as her friends made their way to their car where Emily pulled the door open for Ali and helped her in. "DON'T HAVE TOO MUCH FUN" she shouted as the brunette got into the driver's seat and the car disappeared down the street.

The train into the city wasn't too busy and the girls easily found seats. When they sat down Emily took the window seat and found herself drifting into deep thought as the scenery passed her by.

"What are you thinking about?" Ali looked up with a dimpled smile, breaking Emily from her thoughts.

"You remember our first date?" The brunette questioned with a grin on her face.

"Oh yeah...I remember" Ali smiled as her own mind drifted back to that special night a week before Christmas all those years ago.

XXXXXXXXXX

 _The girls decided to stroll through the city before their reservation at their favourite little French restaurant. It was like a winter wonderland, the fresh blanket of snow was crunching under their feet and the displays in the windows were beautiful. The smell of roasted chestnuts and cinnamon roamed through the city and the Christmas lights above them twinkled in the night sky. Ali walked with her arm in the crook of Emily's elbow and watched as the brunettes eyes lit up when she saw the huge Christmas tree in the town square in front of them._

 _"This is so beautiful" The brunette beamed with a sparkle to her eyes._

 _"Like you." Alison looked up at her girlfrien,_ _giving her signature dimpled smile. 'Girlfriend' Ali thought to herself, 'Emily is my girlfriend'._

 _The brunette lowered her head to meet Alison's and took her lips in hers. Alison breathed deeply into the kiss and kept her eyes closed briefly once it ended. The blonde then dropped her head and smiled as her and the brunette made their way towards the park at the end of the street._

XXXXXXXXXX

After the train ride into the city the girls went straight for their 6:30 reservation at the French restaurant, the same one where they had their first date all those years ago.

Dinner at 'the Eiffel Tower' has been amazing. They spend most of the walk towards the restaurant reminiscing about their first date and the days that followed when they told all their friends and family about their relationship. Once Aria came home from Savannah they all had a girls night in Ali's house. That's when Ali and Emily told them that they had decided to be together and their friends were beyond happy that the soulmates had finally found their way to each other.

After dinner they walked to the same park they had on their first date and sat on the same bench they did on that special night all those years ago. It was kind of surreal that this would probably be the last time they get out together before the twins arrive.

Soon after the movies they headed back towards the train station and were just on time for the train back to Rosewood, which Ali was immensely happy about because her feet were starting to swell up from all they walking they had done tonight and she couldn't wait to sit down on the train and enjoy the quiet and peaceful ride back home.

They girls took the seats towards the empty carriage at the end of the train. Emily had her right arm wrapped around Ali's shoulder and her left arm rubbing circles on the blondes stomach. Ali sat with her head resting in the crook of Emily's neck and her hand gently scratching the brunettes bare thigh.

"Tonight was amazing babe. Thank you" Ali grinned.

"Anything for my beautiful wife" the brunette whispered, placing her face into Ali's hair and breathing in the smell of the coconut shampoo.

Ali moved her head away and took the brunettes lips in her own. The kiss quickly became heated when Ali ran her tongue across Emily's bottom lip, begging for access. The blonde quickly sat upright and trailed her hand up Emilys skirt where she began gripping her thigh harder and harder as her lips peppered kisses along the brunettes jawline and and down towards her neck.

"I want you right now baby" Ali rasped against the chemistry teachers neck.

"Hmmm" is all Emily could respond as the blondes hand trailed further up her thigh.

Ali's lips made their way back to Emilys and she resumed their passionate kiss. Emily ran her fingers through the silky blonde locks and then cupped Ali's face with both hands while Ali's fingers began circling her inner thigh.

"Ali" the brunette whispered, running her hands down to Ali's shoulders. "Babe" she practically moaned before reluctantly pulling away from the heated kiss.

Ali cleared her throat and pushed the brunettes hair behind her ear 'Yeah'

"We need to stop" Emily chuckled as Ali continued to pepper kisses around her neck.

"There's no one here" the blonde whispered, moving her hand dangerously close to Emily's center.

"Babe...You know how hard it is to stop once we go there"

"Come on Em, take the risk, have a little fun" Ali chuckled, biting her bottom lips and gazing lustfully into Emily's eyes with her free hand scratching the back of the brunettes neck.

"I want you more than anything right now but I really don't appreciate an audience" Emily nodded her head towards the security camera that was pointing right towards them. "Anyway you now how much more fun it will be if we wait"

The blonde trailed her hand away from Emily thigh and sat upright in her seat with a loud sigh. "You have a point"

Emily found herself squeezing her thighs together for the majority of the train ride home trying to get some pressure in her throbbing centre as Alison done everything in her power to make Emily want her even more, from sensual yawns to small touches, even letting out a loud moan as she took a gulp of her bottle of water.

Once Emily pulled their white SUV up outside the house she immediately captured Alison's lips in hers for an insanely heated kiss. The brunette reluctantly pulled away to get out of the car and she met Alison in front of the bonnet where the blonde slammed her against it and ran her hands up her skirt while their tongues battled for dominance. Alison pulled away, grabbing Emily by the hand and leading her up the steps to the front door where they crashed their lips together once again.

"Open the door" Ali moaned into Emily's mouth.

Ali began gently sucking on Emily's pulse point as the brunette rummaged through her bag for the keys. Once she had them in her hand Alison swirled her around and grinded her back against Emily's front while Emily tried desperately to get the key inside the front door as fast as she could.

Once inside the house Emily kicked the front door closed with her leg and gently pressed Alison's body up against the wall at the end of the stairs. The brunette pinned Alison's hands above her head and ran her free hand up Alison's dress.

"Your not wearing any underwear" the brunette panted against Ali's lips.

"Pulled them off in the car" Ali let out a loud moan as Emily groped her bare ass. "Figured I'd make it easier for...for you"

"Upstairs...now" Emily panted out against the blondes face, untangling herself from Ali's body and allowing the blonde to interlock their fingers and lead them upstairs to the bedroom.

At the top of the stairs the couples lips met in another crashing kiss and the two stumbled to the bedroom where Ali slammed the door with her foot and pinned Emily against it. Both women quickly kicked off their heels and Ali immediately began undressing the brunette, pulling her jacket off her shoulders and unzipping her dress. Once both women were completely undressed Alison cupped Emily's face with both hands and took her in for another passionate kiss as they made their way towards the bed. Once on the bed, Alison pushed the brunette onto her back and pinned both her hands above her head as she crawled between Emily's bent knees. The blonde then trailed open mouthed kisses around Emily's chest and down towards her breasts. Emily arched her back and let out a deep moan as Alison teeth began gently tugging on her nipple. The brunette managed to get her hands free of Alis grip and she quickly pulled Alis face against her own, sliding her tongue across Alison's bottom lip, begging for access. Both tongues battled for dominance while Emily slid both hands down Alis back and gripped tightly on her ass. The blonde tangled her fingers in the dark curls and began trailing kisses down Emily's neck and around her collar bone. The chemistry teacher lifted her hips against Alison's bump to try to get some friction where she needed it most as Alis lips made her way down the brunettes body, placing passionate kisses around her stomach and smiling into the tanned skin as she felt her wife shiver underneath her.

"Ali" Emily moaned as the blonde placed a circle of kisses around the tanned stomach. "Ali please I need you"

"Tell my what you need baby" Ali whispered against Emily's toned abs.

"I need you to fuck me" the chemistry teacher pleaded before moaning at the sensation of the blondes hands trailing down to her breasts.

"Hows this" Ali breathed through open mouthed kisses below Emily's belly button as her fingers ran through Emily's soaking folds.

"I need you inside of me" the brunette moaned.

After a few more moments of teasing the blonde inserted two fingers into Emily's entrance. The brunette inhaled a deep breath and let out a loud moan as Alison pumped her fingers slowly in and out of the her. Ali kissed the spot right below Emily's hips before moving over and hovering above her centre. The brunette gripped the bedsheets with both hands at the sensation of Alis tongue lapping against her clit. The blonde felt as if she herself was going to fall apart at the sound of Emily's breaths leaving her body in short moans.

"Faster" the swim coach panted out with an arched back and her head pressed firmly against the white pillow.

Alison pumped in and out of the brunette faster and faster while Emily's fingers tangled in the blonde locks. Emily pulled the blondes lips towards her own as she felt her orgasm approaching fast and strong. Alison hummed into the kiss and curled her fingers inside the chemistry teacher before dragging them down her front wall. Emily's hips began moving lazily under the blonde and Ali used her thumb to rub circles around her wifes clit when she felt the brunette tighten around her fingers.

"Keep going" Emily moaned. "I'm so close"

"Come for me" Ali whispered against the tanned neck while squeezing the brunettes breast with her free hand.

"Alison" Emily moaned as her orgasm rippled through her body. The blonde watched as the brunettes mouth hung open in a loud moan. She continued moving her fingers in and out of Emily as she rode out the pleasure of her orgasm. "Fuck" the brunette panted out.

Alison removed her fingers and lay back onto the bed, both women taking a few moments to catch their breaths.

Emily looked lovingly into the blue orbs, her chest heaving as she tried to control her breathing. "Your turn" She rasped with a wide smile before moving towards her wife and crashing their lips together.

* * *

It was a Tuesday Morning and Emily woke up to the familiar sight of golden hair splayed across the pillow. She picked up her phone on the bedside table to see a reminder on her screen, the reminder for the day she had been looking forwards to the past few weeks, their last ultrasound before the birth of their daughters Ellie and Madison. The brunette looked at the date and a wide smile broke across her face. May 1st. She was well aware that by the end of this month there would be two beautiful little babies occupying the bassinets near the window.

Everything was becoming surreal now. The nursery was set and ready for two little princesses - although her and Ali decided that the twins would sleep in with them for the first few months. Both car seats were installed in the car and had been since the day after the baby shower, the hospital bags were packed and ready to go by the bedroom door and the groupchat was on high alert since Ali could in fact go into labour any day now. It was a little after 6am and the morning sun was peeking through the gap in the curtains. Their appointment was at 9am and even though Emily could stay in bed for at least another hour since she had taken the day off work, she decided to get up and make her and Ali breakfast.

When Ali woke up she heard babbling in the kitchen over the music that was playing in the background. She followed it, and the smell of freshly made pancakes down to the kitchen where Emily was standing in front of the cooker, her hair pulled back into a messy bun and her baggy sharks swim coach t-shirt falling off her bare shoulder. Ali watched from the kitchen door as the brunette flipped pancakes with one hand and whisked the batter with the other while singing one of their favourite songs - I wanna dance with somebody by Whitney Houston.

 _Oh! I wanna dance with somebody_

 _I wanna feel the heat with somebody_

 _Yeah! I wanna dance with somebody_

 _With somebody who loves me_

The brunette continued singing the lyrics loudly and Ali tried to hide her chuckle when Emily started shaking her hips and raising her hands above her head. When her arms began to wave in the air Ali had to dodge her head to keep clear of the pancake batter that flew off the whisk towards her.

The lyrics of the song continued to echo around the room and it was when Emily started humming that the blonde walked up behind her. Emily flinched when her wife wrapped her arms around her body, but quickly smiled when she felt Alis bump against her back.

"Damn girl you can danceee" Ali sang into her wifes air. Emily blushed at the thought of being caught in the act but quickly brushed it off and turned to face her wife, grabbing her by the hand and twirling her around. The two sang and danced to the end on the song and Emily quickly took the blondes lips in hers while the last line played through. The thought that very soon they will be swaying around the kitchen, one baby on each of their shoulders while the playlist of some of their favourite songs plays in the background brought a smile to both of their faces.

* * *

The next night, Ali and Emily lay in their bed, both of them sleeping soundly. That was until just after 2am when Ali felt a kick against her stomach, a kick with so much force that it knocked the air out of her. She quickly sat up in the bed and clutched her bump, a worried expression plastered on her face. Then another kick shook her stomach, this one just as strong. It was when Ali ripped the covers off her and noticed the wet patch on the grey bed sheets below that she really started to panic.

"Emily, Em wake up quick my...my water broke" she yelled while frantically slapping the duvet that covered the brunette.

Emily jumped up so quickly that she saw black dots in her line of vision. "Oh my god, okay, everything's fine don't...no need to panic. Don't panic" she yelled while switching on the bedside lamp.

Ali groaned loudly as a shooting pain made its way through her stomach. "I'm….i'm not panicking" she moaned while rubbing large circles around her bump.

The blondes eyes followed Emily as she ran quickly to the window and picked up the two sets of clothes she had set out for her and Ali in case something like this happened and they had to rush to the hospital. After shoving on her own clothes in less than a minute she helped Ali to the bathroom where they worked as a team to change her into a black leggings, white flowy top and long baggy cardigan. Emily quickly gathered everything they needed to bring with them while Ali slipped her swollen feet into the black adidas slides she had been living in the past few days.

"Ready" Emily breathed with the large hospital bag hanging off her elbow and Alis Louis Vuitton backpack on her shoulder.

Ali scratched the back of her neck and scanned her eyes around the room, keeping her gaze held on the two pink bassinets near the window. "Ehmmm...Yeah, yeah I think so"

"Don't worry, everything is going to be fine" Emily whispered with a reassuring squeeze on Ali's shoulder. She cupped Alis face with her free hand and placed a lingering kiss on the blondes lips "Let's go meet our girls"


	11. Angel’s can’t die

**Happy wednesday everybody:)**

 **I've had a lot of free time this week so I managed to finish this chapter and plan out the rest of the story. Hope you like the new chapter and please leave a review and let me know if you like it or have any suggestions.**

 ***TRIGGER WARNINGS***

 **Chapter 11: Angel's can't die.**

It was a little after 3am when the girls made it to the hospital. Ali immediately rang Pam when they got into the car and the excited older woman informed them that she and Wayne would be there straight away. They decided to send a text into the group chat instead of ringing everyone and waking them up but less than 10 seconds later the phone rang. It was Spencer saying that she was feeding Haven when she got the text and that Toby was off duty so he would stay and mind the kids and she would be over in less than an hour.

The next few hours passed in a complete blur to Alison, they consisted of doctors and nurses rushing in and out, hooking her up to wires and monitors and poking and prodding every inch of her body. The blonde was slowly dilating and her contractions were getting closer and closer apart. Emily was being bombarded with medical talk and by the sounds of it, something was seriously wrong which only worried both women even more because they were already aware of the risks that came with premature birth, and how the all applied to Ali since she was in fact over three weeks early. Ali had snapped at the nurses a few times because of their lack of communication and as much as Emily wanted to apologise, she herself was really frustrated and growing more impatient by the minute.

'What's wrong' Emily asked when she saw a doctors worried expression as he fiddled with one of the monitors around Alison's stomach.

'Oh..nothing' he vaguely replied.

'Well then why do you have that look on your face' the brunette asked.

'S..Sorry I'm just an intern, I'll go get Dr Robbins' the young, teenage looking doctor stuttered as he ran out of the room.

'Is….is everything okay' Ali winced from the bed.

'Yeah...babe, don't worry everything's fine'

With that another strong contraction rippled through Ali's body and the brunette sat next to her, holding her wife's hand tightly while she screamed in pain. After a few seconds a flood of doctors and nurses, including doctor Robbins rushed through the room and pushed Emily out of the way as they shouted among one another and shuffled with the monitors around Ali's stomach.

'Who put this on?' One shouted.

'I'm getting heart decels in baby number 2' Another yelled.

Emily made her way back to the bed and looked at Ali, whose face was scrunched in pain and filled with worry as Dr Robbins examined her cervix and the nurse next to her took notes.

'GET THESE BABIES OUT OF ME!' The blonde screamed, squeezing Emilys hand so tight her fingers went numb.

Emily reached her free hand over and pushed a wet strand of hair behind Ali's ear, before wiping her face with a damp cloth.

'Okay ladies, baby number 1 is not wasting any time and wants to get out right now, unfortunately her sister isnt feeling the same way so we're going to do everything we can to save her' Dr Robbins said, pulling her gloves off.

'SAVE HER' Ali exclaimed.

Emily felt a lump forming in her throat. 'W..what do you mean. What's wrong with her'

'Her heartbeat isn't as strong as her sisters but were going to begin delivering immediately and hopefully get it under control.' Dr Robbins stood up and two nurses began gowning her and preparing the room to deliver the girls.

'Okay so Alison I need you start pushing' Dr Robbins started.

Ali groaned in pain while she pushed as hard as she could. Emily stood beside her and rubbed her back with one hand while Ali squeezed the life out of the other.

Screaming echoed the room as Ali pushed their first daughter out into the world. Emily could tell her wife was in agony and she wished she could do more. She coached and encouraged her wife to the best of her ability and jerked her head up when the sound of baby screams echoed around the room.

'Okay. So baby number one is out' Dr Robbins announced with a smile, holding their crying daughter up for them to see and allowing Emily to cut the cord.

'Ellie' Ali sniffled, smiling at the sight of the tiny little baby before her eyes.

'She's beautiful' Emily whispered, placing a soft kiss on Ali's hand and exhaling the breath she didnt know she was holding.

Both women fell instantly in love with the dark haired baby in front of then. There were two surgeons standing right behind Dr Robbins and one of them, the younger looking one, grabbed the baby and carried her to the table near the window where they examined her.

Next thing a bunch of people gathered around Ali as she pushed baby number 2 into the world.

'Okay Alison I'm going to need a big long push from you' a nurse smiled.

'I AM PUSHING' Ali growled before wincing in pain.

Emily hugged her arm around the blonde a little tighter, trying to sooth her before bitchy Ali came back to play. 'It's okay babe, it's okay shhhh'

'One more push Alison, One more big push and you get to meet your baby girl' The Robbins encouraged.

Ali dropped her head back in pain, sweat dripping down her face as she inhaled and exhaled deep breaths. Emily felt completely flustered, she didn't know whether to trail her eyes over to Ellie, who was screaming bloody murder at being poked and prodded by doctors, to Ali who groaned in agonizing pain while pushing their second daughter out of her body, or to the doctors in front of them who were talking frantically among each other, getting ready with gowns and gloves for their second little girl, Madison to enter the world.

The brunette wanted to ask what was wrong, was everything okay? but she didn't want to know the answer. She just cradled her wife in her arms and helped out as much as she could.

Suddenly Dr Robbins strong voice echoed around the room as she held their second daughters lifeless body in her arms and cut the cord, she quickly handed her to the pediatric surgeon who had briefly introduced himself as Dr Steele when he entered the room and they watched as he rushed to the set-up near the window with her.

'Why isn't she crying...why...why isn't she crying' Ali exclaimed with a cracked voice.

'Ladies, the doctors are going to do everything they can, Okay' a nurse said with a sympathetic smile and a reassuring squeeze on Emily's shoulder.

Emily rushed towards the window where doctors stood around their little girl, pressing their fingers against her little chest and pumping oxygen into her little lungs with an ambu bag.

'Where are you taking her' Emily shouted as the group of doctors and nurses frantically made their way out of the room.

'Emily, your baby is having a little trouble breathing so they're just going to take her to another room and see what they can do' Dr Robbins reassured her.

'Don't let her out of your sight' Ali shouted before Emily looked at her wife, then at Ellie and ran out of the room and down along the corridor to their little girl.

* * *

'Do you want to hold your baby' a Nurse asked sweetly as she made her way to the cot that held Ellie.

Ali's eyes were stuck to the door and she could'nt bring herself to speak, for fear of breaking down. Her heart was filled with so much love for their little daughter Ellie who lay quietly in the cot next to the bed, but so much fear of the unknown for their other little Girl, Madison.

The nurse dropped her eyes to the dark haired baby, then to a pale and worried Ali. 'I can take her to the nursery for a while if your not up for it'

'No' Ali managed to blurt out before clearing her throat. 'I..I want to hold her, I want to hold my little girl'

The Nurse walked the short distance to the end of the cot and carefully scooped Ellie up, handing her to Ali and then stepping out of the way towards the foot of the bed where she picked up Alis chart and continued filling it in.

The blonde felt tears brimming in her eyes while looking down at their little bundle of joy. After all these months of waiting she was finally able to hold one of her little girls.

'She's perfect' Ali smiled as a tear rolled freely down her cheek.

'She is' the nurse smiled.

Ali trailed her index finger softly over the baby's cheek. 'Wow..you look just like your mama'

Alison smiled down at her daughter as a little yawn escaped her tiny little lips and let out a quiet chuckle when the newborn fought as hard as she could to get her little arms out from underneath the blanket she had been swaddled in.

'Hello sweet girl' she cooed to the newborn as the tiny eyes fluttered open, revealing piercing blue eyes. She continued smiling her biggest dimpled smile as she took in all of the little features, from her daughters full head of dark hair to her pink little lips that fell into the cutest little pout.

'Would you like to try feeding her' the Nurse asked enthusiastically with a wide smile

'Yeah, I think she hungry' Ali replied, shuffling uncomfortably on the bed to sit up, and with the assistance of the nurse who told the blonde to call her Pippa, fixed the pillows behind her back.

Much to both womens delight, Ellie immediately latched onto Ali's nipple and began suckling. Alison's heart was filled with nothing but love for her daughter, listening to the beautiful sounds of little grunts and groans coming from her tiny mouth.

Ali looked up and took a deep breath 'Can you see is my baby okay'

'I'm sure a doctor should be down soon with an update, try not to work Okay' she reassured Ali before quickly trying to swerve the conversation to a different place. 'So have have you thought of any names yet?'

'Yeah, we have the names Ellie and Madison' the blonde smiled, putting her finger down and watching as the newborn grabbed onto it with her tiny little fingers.

'Who's this' Pippa smiled

'This is Ellie' Ali smiled back.

* * *

Emily watched with folded arms and her hand to her mouth from the window as doctors and nurses crowded around her daughter. She watched them hook wires and monitors onto her little girl while continuing to pump oxygen into her body with an ambu bag and press on her little chest with their fingers.

One of the Doctor's eyes trailed over to the window to see the pale brunette standing anxiously outside and to prevent Emily seeing anymore of this horrible scene that was unfolding in front of her, he walked over and pulled the blinds shut.

Emily inhaled a few deep breaths while walking over to the wall across from the door, she leaned on it with both hands and her head dropped to her chin as all the worse scenarios possible replayed in her mind. After shaking her the bad thoughts away and rubbing her eyes with her sweaty palms, she pressed her back against the wall and slowly slid down it, hugging her knees as tears flowed silently down her cheeks. She found her mind drifting back to their last scan a few weeks before.

 _xxxxxxxxx_

 _'Hello ladies how are we today' doctor Robbins chirped as she walked through the door, taking notes in the chart she held in her hand._

 _'Really good' Emily smiled, taking Ali's hand in her own._

 _'Okay So today is your last appointment' she said, taking a seat on the stool and looking at both women with a warm, welcoming smile._

 _'Yeah' Ali grinned from her position on the bed._

 _'This is the final stretch' the doctor exclaimed. 'Your due date is May 26th so not long more to go'_

 _After taking Ali's measurements and bloodworks, she placed the familiar cold gel on Ali's stomach and rolled the device around her bump_

 _The girls smiled as the sound of their daughters heart beats filled the room and watched the screen ahead as they counted the girls fingers and toes once again._

 _'Okay so... one of the babies, baby number 1 is developing at a much faster rate that her sister but it nothing that I would be too worried about, all it will mean is maybe a difference in size and weight but nothing too dramatic'_

 _Xxxxxxxx_

Emily was broken from her daydream by a doctor clearing his throat. 'Mrs Dilaurentis Fields'

'Y...Yes' Emily breathed out, jumping up from her spot on the ground and standing in front of the light haired man.

The brunettes face went a shade paler and she felt a cold sweat break out on her forehead as she watched doctor wring his cap between his hands and look her directly in the eye.

* * *

After feeding Ellie, the blonde placed the sleeping newborn into the cot and sat back on the bed, scratching her neck nervously and running her fingers through her damp hair as she waited patiently for someone to enter the room so she could try to find out as much as she could about Madison's condition.

The anxious blonde snapped out of her trance when pippa walked back into the room and she immediately bombarded the nurse with questions. 'Can you please check is my daughter okay...it's been over 30 minutes since I've seen her...and my wife... Oh god Emily is probably avoiding me right now not wanting to break the bad news...no...Jeez Ali don't think like that, your daughter will be fine' the blonde blurted while running both hands nervously through her hair, staring at the nurse in front of her and leaning forward with every word that left her mouth. 'Can you please tell me what's going on'

The nurse walked over and sat on the bed next to Ali, placing a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder while she waited for Ali to take a few breaths and compose herself. 'I'm sorry, I don't know anything but I'm sure there will be an update soon'

Just then they were interrupted by the sound of rolling wheels making their way into the room. She looked at Emily, who stood behind the cot with a loving smile on her face as two doctors filed in behind her.

Ali swallowed hard, looking into the cot that held their second daughter 'Is she...'

'She's fine' Emily breathed, parking the cot at the end of Ali's bed and sitting down next to her wife while the two doctors placed the machines around it.

'Why is she?...Why...Why is there wires all around her?' Ali exclaimed as she leaned forward on the bed and looked at Madison.

'So Ladies, your little girl wasn't breathing after delivery. Fortunately we were able to revive her but on examination and testing we found her lungs were underdeveloped'. The doctor whos name tag read 'Dr Steele' took a deep breath, looking at the worried expression shared between both mothers before he continued talking. 'So the good news is, your baby seems to be responding well so far'

'And the bad news' Ali breathed.

Dr Steele paused for a moment and looked at his colleague, Dr Taylor, beside him before speaking. 'Your baby's brain was deprived of oxygen for a few minutes and we are not yet sure of any long term effects it had on her. We are going to have to keep her on the ventilator under close observation in the NICU for a few days'

Ali dropped her head, trying to process the situation while Emily asked questions.'What about the machines' she rasped. 'What are the wires for' she added, her face becoming paler and paler with every passing second.

'So this machine here is a ventilator' Dr Taylor informed them as she tapped it with her pen. 'It's attached to your baby's mouth and providing her with a clean supply of oxygen. And the wires on her chest are monitoring her heartbeat' she continued, nodding to the wires that were stuck onto their little girl. 'Since she will have to use the ventilator for a few days to help her breath, she will not be able to eat naturally so the tube in her nose is her source of food for now'

'Oh my god' Ali gasped with both hands over her mouth. Emily put her hand behind Alis back and began rubbing small circles. 'Is she going to be okay'

'We can't say for certain, but shes a fighter' Dr steele said with a reassuring smile.

After a few moments of silence Ali finally spoke up. 'Are we able to hold her'

'Pippa here will be able to help you both hold her shortly, we encourage skin to skin contact since its suggested that parents hold their premature babies as much as possible, that goes for your other little baby over there too' Dr Steele smiled.

A little relief was felt by both women at the thought of at least being able to hold Madison.

'Now i'm on call for the next few hours so we can leave her in here for now. I'm sure she excited to see her mommies and her little sister' Dr taylor smiled. 'Pippa will be in and out keeping an eye on you all so if you have any concerns or worries, press the button on the bed there next to you and she will be right in'

'Unfortunately we will have to move her to the NICU then since she will in fact need around the clock observation' Dr Steele finished before both him and Dr Taylor said their goodbyes and left the room.

A few minutes later, Pippa, with the help of one of the NICU nurses, Rebecca, lifted Madison from the cot and handed her to Ali. They slowly moved the machines right next to the bed, being careful not to tangle all the wires in the process. Once Ali had the tiny newborn baby snuggled against her bare skin, Pippa suggested Emily do the same with Ellie. Rebecca and Pippa then left, ensuring both worried new mothers that they would be fine and to press the button immediately if they needed anything.

'Oh my God Em, there identical' Ali whispered, gently stroking Madisons dark hair with her finger.

'Our beautiful little girls' Emily smiled, cradling the sleeping baby in her arms.

Ali looked down at Madison, the tube hanging out of her mouth was held in place with pink tape and the feeding tube in her nose was secured down with a winnie the pooh bandage. It broke her heart to see her daughter like this, covered in wires and being assisted by a breathing machine. But that didn't matter to Ali right now, All that mattered was that her girls were alive and safe in the arms of their mothers.

'After all those months there finally in our arms' Ali cooed.

'Yes they are' Emily smiled, taking in her daughter little features as the beeping of Madison's steady heart beep filled the room, bringing both women a little comfort as silence fell between them.

About an hour later, Emily decided to go to the waiting room and bring their family to see the girls before Dr Taylor took Madison to the NICU. The brunette stopped at a water dispenser on the way down and quickly poured a cup to hydrate before taking a deep breath to gather herself after the overwhelming morning they just had. She pressed the home button on her phone and looked at the screen saver of her and Ali on top of the Eiffel tower before her eyes moved to the time. It was a little after 10am. She knew her Parents and Spencer had arrived really early this morning, but didn't know if anyone else had come or not. Much to Emily's delight she walked into the waiting room to see Aria and Ezra snuggled into each other with their heads buried in books, Hanna reading a vogue magazine and her earphones in her ears, Spencer with her gaze held on her shoes and her Coffee cup to her lips, and then Pam and Wayne who sat with their backs to the waiting room door, her dad leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and his coffee cupped in his hands and Pam with her arm on the back of the chair, staring off into the distance, anxiously waiting on news from her daughter.

When Pam caught sight of Emily she immediately jumped up from her chair and walked towards the brunette. Spencer and Wayne shot up soon after while Aria, Ezra and Hanna leaned forward in their seats awaiting news of their nieces.

'How is Ali? Are the girls okay' Pam asked as she led her daughter towards the rest of the group.

Emily stared at the group in front of her, who all looked at her with smiles on their faces, waiting patiently to hear news.

'How are they, what colour hair do they have' Hanna excitedly blurted.

'Spencer held her coffee cup to her mouth and examined her anxious looking friend. She knew something was wrong when she saw Emily swallowing hard before she spoke.

'Umm' The chemistry teacher cleared her throat 'Ali is fine. She was a trooper through the whole thing. Ellie was born in perfect health and has…she has really dark hair and bright blue eyes like Ali, oh and she doesn't like her arms covered in her blanket… like me when I was a baby' Emily nervously chuckled.

'What about Madison' Aria asked.

'Madison...Madison is fine' Emily started. 'She….she wasn't breathing when they delivered her and...' Emily inhaled another deep breath and cleared her throat again, looking straight up to the ceiling above, trying to prevent tears spilling from her eyes. 'Her...her lungs are underdeveloped and she's on a ventilator and heart monitor'

The brunette looked up to see worried faces, she looked to her mom, whos hand was covering her mouth.

'There moving her to the NICU in a while so I want you all to see her before the doctor comes back in later' Emily finished with a sniffle.

'Oh Emmy, are you okay sweetie' Pam asked, pulling her daughter in her arms and that was when Emily felt the lump in her throat becoming impossible to swallow. She had been bottling her emotions up, trying to stay strong in front of Ali but honestly the sight of Madison hooked up to all those machines and wires shattered her heart into a million pieces.

'I just want her to be okay' The brunette rasped into her mother's shoulder as silent tears fell down her face.

'Its okay sweetie, shhhh' pam cooed to her daughter.

A few minutes later, after sitting Emily down on the chair and telling her that Madison would be okay and if she was anything like her mothers she would be resilient to anything life throws at her. They asked Emily about the girls, about their eyes, and hair, and little fingers and toes which helped calm the overwhelmed brunette and they even got a laugh off her when she told them about the girls first diaper change.

Since Ali had a private room that was bigger than Emily's apartment when she lived in California, everyone was able to go in to see the twins at once. The emotion that Emily had felt a few minutes before quickly became replaced with excitement to show off her girls to her family. Emily led them into the room and walked over to the bed, where Ali was sitting, staring lovingly down at Ellie who they had dressed in a pink and purple striped onesie after her first diaper change, while Madison lay sleeping in her tiny diaper in the special cot next to her.

The brunette walked towards the bed and took a seat next to her wife before placing a lingering kiss on her forehead as their friends and family stood around them.

'Everyone...We'd like you to meet Ellie and Madison' Ali smiled.

'Awwww' Spencer gushed with her hand to her heart and her eyes filled with love as she looked at the twins.

'Oh would you look at them...they have your hair Em' Hanna smiled.

'There precious' Pam whispered.

'Yes they are' Wayne smiled with his arm around his wife's back.

* * *

Emily looked across to her little girl, the little girl she had fallen so madly in love with from the moment she met her. It upset the brunette that on the twins first night in the world that they would have to spend it apart and she knew by the look on Alison's face when the doctor came in a rolled Madison out of the room that she felt the same way. It was a little after 2:00 and Emily couldn't sleep, it's not that she wasn't tired, because she was. It was because she physically wouldn't allow her eyes to closein case anything happened to her precious daughter. She had face timed Ali and they said Goodnight to each other, as well as their daughters but that was a few hours ago and she wondered if her wife was still awake like she was. She knew Ali was tired from her long labour and the emotionally draining day they had, but she wanted to call her anyway, it was worth a try.

Emily picked up her phone and dialed Ali's number. The phone rang once before being picked up by the blonde.

'Hey baby' Ali rasped.

'Hey' Emily whispered so as not to wake any of the other parents or babies in the NICU.

'You can't sleep either huh'

Emily blew out air from her cheeks. 'I'm afraid to'

There was a moment of silence between them, a moment of comfortable silence. Neither one of them had to speak, just the thought of the other one on the phone comforted them.

'How's my little princess?' Emily asked, pulling the blanket on her body over her shoulder and slouching back into the chair.

'She's really good, she had a feed at twelve and went straight back to sleep. What about Madison? how is she?' Ali asked.

Emily smiled over to the cot in front of her. 'She's perfect, the nurse just came in and checked on her and all is good'

'That's great' Ali replied and Emily could tell she was smiling on the other side of the phone.

The steady sound of the heart monitor right next to Emily's chair filled both their ears. 'I wish we were all together' the brunette rasped.

'Me too babe...me too'

Emily managed to drift off shortly after the phone call. A nurse noticed her head falling forward and her trying with all her power to fight off sleep so she assured the anxious new mother that she would wake her up immediately if any problems arose. That kind of gave Emily enough piece of mind to fall into a light sleep.

Emily was startled awake with the sound of a the continuous loud beeping of an alarm, Her eyes jerked open and she noticed the swarm of nurses running towards her daughter, her little girl who's monitors we're going haywire.

Emily jumped up and watched as the three women worked on her daughter. Then a doctor ran towards them shoving his hands into a fresh set of latex gloves.

'What happened' he shouted

'She stopped breathing' a nurse yelled back.

 _'She stopped breathing'_ were the words that kept replaying in Emily's head. The voices of the people helping her daughter became muffled and Emily's only focus was her little baby. How was this happening again... _WHY_ was this happening again, such a vulnerable little baby didnt deserve this pain on her first day in the world. Emily didn't want to see this, she couldn't handle watching her daughter slip away from her right before her eyes... _AGAIN_. She shook her head and walked backwards towards the doors, pushing them open with her back and walking around the corner of the corridor so that the room was well out of sight. She rested her hands on her knees and leaned against the wall behind her, allowing tears to run freely down her face.

Emily didnt know how long she had been standing there like an emotional wreck, but guessed it was a while. Her head was spinning, wondering what was going on in that awful room around the corner, wondering how she would tell her wife that their little girl stopped breathing again, wondering how she would cope if she heard those four words, the same words she though she heard when her and Ali were in that terrible accident over a year ago...' _she didnt make it'..._ those were the words that replayed in the brunettes head like a train driving on the tracks no matter how hard she trid to stop it.

'Mrs Dilaurentis Fields' a voice called, startling Emily out of her horrible thoughts.

The brunette cleared her throat and reluctently stood up straight. 'Y..Yeah'

'Could you come with me please'

'W..What' Emily mumbled, pulling her arm away from the nurses grip.

The nurse looked at her, and with a familier softness to her voice she repeated 'Could you come with me please'

The place the nurse took the brunette was not the NICU, it was a room with a big sofa and a coffee table and was filled with warm paintings and flowers. Emily knew whatever they were about to tell her wasn'tgoing to be good. She stood up and paced around the room, impatiently waiting for someone to come in and tell her what the hell was going on. She made her way back over to the chair and sat down, resting her arms on both knees and slouching her head in her hands while her feet tapped the ground furiously underneath her. She jumped up when she heard the sound of the door opening and felt her pulse racing when the doctor who had run towards her daughter to save her walked inside the room. He dropped his head as shut the door behind him, telling Emily to take a seat.

'Whats wrong?...Is my daughter okay'

'Mrs Dilaurentis-Fields.' He took a deep breath. 'Im sorry'

'No no no no no' Emily interrupted, shaking her head and shooting up from the chair.

'im really sorry' He said with so much sympathy and sorrow in his voice. 'She didnt make it'

Emily leaned against the wall and placed her hands on her knees while she processed what she was just told.

'Mrs Dilaurentis-Fields' she heard someone call. The muffled voice become cleared and whoever it was snapped their fingers infront of her face to bring her back to reality.

'Mrs Dilaurentis-Fields' the voice repeated and Emily finally lifted her head to see it was the nurse that had been rounding on her daughter earlier in the night. 'Are you okay'

'W..what, whats happening? Is my daughter okay?

'Could you follow me please' she asked.

This time, the nurse did infact lead Emily back into the NICU where the doctor, the one who had been in that horrible day dream, or halucnation from lack of sleep, or whatever she just experienced, took the stethescope away from Madisons chest and put it around his neck before walking towards her.

Emily looked at the chirpy looking doctor, whos name tag read Dr Stark as he came face to face with her.

'You missed the best part Mrs Dilaurentis Fields. She tried to slip away but we wouldn't let her'

* * *

Emily sat into the car and turned the keys in the ignition to start it, she looked at the steering wheel in front of her, then to the overhead mirror to see her little girls in the reflection of the flower like mirrors on the head rest of the chairs infront of them. Ellie was fast asleep and had been since she was placed in the carseat over a half an hour ago, while Madison sat there contently, her eyes trailing around the car as she took in her unfamiliar surroundings.

'What are you going' Ali asked when Emily turned off the car and jumped out of the driver's seat.

'Just double checking' she answered after opening the door on Ellies side and tugging gently at the seat belts secured around her little body.

'Em you've already checked them three times, and I have too. They'll be fine' Ali reassured her before she closed one door and walked around the back of the car to do the exact same on the other side.

'I know' Emily sighed as she jumped back into the drivers seat and slouched back into her chair, gripping the steering wheel with both hands. 'I just keep worrying about how tiny and fragile they are'

The two smiled into the overheardmirror when they saw the little yawn escaping Madison's lips, these were the little things that filled their heart with so much joy and happiness. Madison had been weaned off the ventilator a little over two days ago and it was amazing how quickly she recovered. Dr Taylor, who had become Madison's primary physician, said that she was a little miracle and it was amazing how quickly she bounced back after her rough little entrance into the world. Being able to dress Madison in her first outfit, which was a navy babygrow with white dots to match her sister, being able to feed her for the first time, hold her without wires getting tangled up and being able to lay both their daughters down in the cot together and watch how quickly they wrapped around one another were moments they would cherish for the rest of their lives.

'On second thought' Ali mumbled before getting out of the car and opening both doors to check the carseats one more time, just to be on the safeside.

* * *

Once both women got inside the house Ellie started crying. Emily put the carseat onto the living room sofa and scooped her daughter out, resting her on her shoulder and swaying gently from side to side to try to sooth her.

'Here I think she's hungry' Ali said softly while reaching her hands out.

'Give her the boob before she wakes her sister' Emily smiled, handing the screaming newborn to her mother.

'Too late for that' Ali left out a soft chuckle when Madisons screams matched Ellies.

'Did you pump today' Emily asked as she rummaged through the changing bag.

Ali sat down on the sofa and looked down as Ellie latched quickly onto her breast and began feeding. 'Ehm, I did but I think Madison drank it before we left the hospital'

Emily gave up looking for the bottle and walked over to Madison, picking her up and cradling her in her arms. Turns out all she needed was a little attention from her mama because once Emily trailed around the room with her in her arms she stopped crying. Her piercing blue eyes met her mothers brown orbs and Emily smiled at her, soothing her with loving words and running her tanned hand along Madisons dark hair.

While Emily had her moment with one daughter, Ali had hers with the other. She looked down at their blue eyed bundle of joy, her heart filled with so much love she felt it could burst. The blonde watched as the little brunette gripped the hem of Alis t-shirt with her little hand and gazed up to her mommy before her eyes slowly fluttered closed.

'Damn we're naturals' Emily whispered with enthusiasm in her voice and Ali smiled in response before walking over and placing her Ellie in the playpen, and stepping back and watching as Emily placed Madison down right next to her.

The night passed by pretty quickly. Although the twins slept through most of it, they woke a few times for food and diaper changes. The only downside they were noticing so far was when one of the babies woke up, it wasn't long before their screams woke the other and that then turned into a struggle to figure out what they wanted and hours of rocking them in the car seat, laying them in the electric baby swings, or just holding them close and singing to them.

'Aren't they just the cutest things you've ever seen' Ali smiled softly with her head resting on Emily's shoulders as they looked down at their daughters in their bassinets, both of them laying in an identical position with their knees bent and the hands raised above their heads. 'I just want to eat them all up'

'There precious' Emily whispered, leaning down and placing a soft kiss on Alis head.

Ali looked up to Emily and took the brunettes lips in her own. 'I love you'

'I love you too' the brunette smiled in response before embracing her wife in her arms and enjoying the peaceful silence that washed over them as they watched their daughters sleep.

* * *

Ellie Rose Dilaurentis-Fields

Born Thursday, May 3rd at 8:35am

Weighing 5lbs 7oz

Madison Grace Dilaurentis-Fields

Born Thursday, May 3rd at 8:40am

Weighing 5lbs 2oz


	12. You and Me, Forever

**Hello everybody:)**

 **Snow day today so I managed to finish writing this chapter and get it edited. I'm off for the rest of the week until Monday so keep an eye out for the next chapter which shouldn't be too far behind this one. Again thank you so much for the reviews, I love reading your feedback so keep them coming:)**

 **Make sure to like this story and follow it to keep updated with the progress.**

 **Hope you enjoy:)**

* * *

Chapter 12: You and me, forever.

"Does this smell" Emily asked with a wrinkled nose as she walked in through the kitchen towards Alison.

"What?" Ali asked, bouncing a three month old on her hip and wiping down the counter in front of her.

The brunette stretched her t-shirt with both hands and raised it towards the blondes face. "One sniff….Please"

Ali ducked her head towards the plain white t-shirt that was being pushed towards her and she breathed in the scent. "No...it's fine"

"Good" Emily sighed, fixing it on her body and turning around to make her way to the kitchen Island.

"Except for that huge coffee stain on the back" The blonde called out as she walked towards the washing basket on the dining room table.

Emily groaned as she examined the brown stain on the back of her t-shirt. She quickly pulled it off and tossed it in the laundry room door with the rest of the clothes that they keep meaning to get done but just can't find the time to do.

Ali rummaged through the basket in front of her and pulled out a grey top. "Here, this will…."

"What?" Emily smiled. "You like what you see?" she teased in a sexy voice when she noticed Alis eyes trailing down her body.

"Hmmm" Ali responded, biting down on her bottom lip and gazing for a few seconds, just to take in how sexy her wife was. Seeing Emily's toned stomach and hot pink bra gave her all kinds of feels but now was not the time to be thinking about dragging the brunette upstairs and fooling around with her under the covers.

Ali sniggered, tossing Emily the grey shirt in her hand and shook her head with the biggest dimpled smile on her face. "Here...Put this on before I make you late for your first day back at work"

"Thanks babe" Emily chuckled softly, throwing the top over her body and then looking over to Ali who was stooping down to Madison on the playmat and putting a binky into her little mouth.

"Did you spit your binky out" She heard the blonde say. The sound of little giggles and murmurs coming from Maddies mouth as she continued to spit the binky out everytime Alison put it in her mouth was music to Emily's ears, and Ellie murmuring down to her sister from the blondes arms was the cutest thing ever. Both of their toothless grins becoming bigger when Ali squealed softly between them, placing a lingering kiss on Ellies forehead and holding Maddie's little hand in hers. That was her gorgeous wife down there, they were her beautiful daughters and all together they were her _life_

On a search for Emily's RHS teachers folder, Alison trailed around the dining room table, swaying Ellie in her arms and scanning her eyes around their messy house. The baby clothes scattered around the room and the dishes filling the sink were only the tip of the iceberg. She had tried so many times this week to get it cleaned but it wasn't easy to find much free time with twins that needed you almost every minute of the day. When she spotted the blue and white folder on the toy basket she picked it up, wincing at the thought of the day she had ahead of her before making her way over to the kitchen island to put the folder with the rest of Emily's things.

Emily leaned against the counter next to Ali, holding her coffee cup in her hands and watching as her daughter nestled her head into the crook of Alis neck with her little hand gripped onto the hem of the blondes oversized t-shirt. "I Can't believe I'm going back to work already" she trailed off, running her fingers through Ellies messy curls. The teacher had enjoyed her extra time off with summer break running into her leave of absence and knew that getting back into the swing of things once she went back to work wouldn't be easy, especially with her mind constantly trailing back to her girls at home.

"Stop" Ali sighed. "I'm not ready to spend a full day without you"

"You'll be fine babe" Emily smiled. She knew how uneasy Ali seemed when they started talking about her going back to RHS this week, she knew how worried Ali was feeling about spending the day alone with the girls. After all, handling the twins together was hard enough, she could only imagine what it would be like flying solo.

"Seriously Em" The blonde nervously chuckled. "I'm internally freaking out here...I mean you know how Ellie has been acting lately and I don't think I will be able to handle a screaming three month old on my own today, never mind two"

Ali was trying to hide the uneasiness in her voice but Emily could see right through it. When Ellie was crying uncontrollably last night, Emily had contemplated multiple times on taking today off to help Ali, but that would mean Ali's dread of watching the girls alone would just be put off until tomorrow. She knew she couldn't take days off every time the girls were fussy so it was better to just rip the bandaid off and dive right in.

"Babe, you have nothing to worry about okay" The brunette reassured her wife. "I'll check in as much as I can. My Dad, he's only a phone call away. He will be over in a flash if you need help and my Mom will call over after work." Emily watched as Ali rubbed circles around Ellies back and smiled down to her. "Look at me babe" Emily said softly. "You'll be fine. And anyway Hanna is off all day, ask her to go for a walk with you, it would be nice to get out and about with the girls, just make sure to wrap them up well"

"I guess" Alison breathed. "Sure Ellie was awake all night so I imagine she'll take a longer nap than usual"

"Exactly" Emily raised her brows, thinking back to the ordeal they had last night trying to calm Ellie down. "And put Madison into the swing or the bouncer, put on the baby channel, you know the one with the shapes and music that she loves and she'll be fine"

"You always manage to make me feel like I can conquer the world" Ali mumbled to Emily.

"No...I remind you that you can do it" the brunette whispered, taking the blondes lips in hers and savouring every moment of the heartfelt kiss.

* * *

Ali's morning started out a little better than anticipated. After Emily left for work, Alison gave Ellie milk and put her to sleep in the bassinet upstairs. Anytime they put Ellie down for a nap it had to be somewhere filled with complete silence since she was such a light sleeper. Madison fell fast asleep in the playpen not long after so the blonde figured now was her chance to clean up some of the mess around the house.

She managed to tidy up from their breakfast and get some laundry done. When she began to tidy up the living room she stopped at the playpen to check on Madison and pushed the falling binky further into her little mouth. She felt that sick feeling in her stomach when she looked at how still and quiet the three month old was and her mind flashed back to one of the many sleepless nights she'd had over the past few months.

XXXXXXXXXX

 _It was a little after 3am when Alison woke up from her sleep gasping for air. She shot up so fast a wave of nausea washed over her body and she could feel her heart pounding against her chest. Her eyes, still blurred in vision from being opened so fast, shot down to her newborn daughter in the bassinet next to her._

" _Madison" she called out. "Maddie wake up" she repeated a little louder this time._

 _When there was no response after continuously tapping the baby, she quickly scooped her up and placed her on the bed in front of her._

 _Alison went to smack the covers over Emily to wake her up but the brunette was already sitting up straight in the bed after hearing her wife's panicked voice and heavy breathing. Emilys face was as white as sheet and she felt her pulse racing as she watched Ali plead for the baby to open her eyes._

" _Madison" Emily shouted, gently nudging her daughters fragile little body._

 _Both women breathed deeply in relief and Emily dropped her head in her hands when their little girls wailing filled their ears._

" _Maddie" Ali panted. "Shhh...i'm sorry baby girl" She cried, pulling the newborn closer to her chest._

 _Emily shut her eyes, taking a few seconds to control her breathing and allow her heart rate to slow down. She reached over to the blonde and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear "Its okay babe, it's only a nightmare...she's fine"_

 _Ever since they bought the girls home a little over a week ago Ali had been waking up at all hours of the night after terrible nightmares, panicking in the bed and checking to make sure Madison was alive and breathing._

" _It's not a nightmare Em, it's real...it happened" Ali rasped, putting her hand over her face and wiping the tears that flowed down her cheeks._

 _Emily put her arms around Ali and pulled her closer, being careful not to squish her daughter between them. "She's fine now babe. She's okay."_

 _The brunette looked at the crying two weeks old in Ali's arms and sighed. Over the last few weeks they'd noticed a lot of differences in their girls. Ellie was such a restless and light sleeper and woke at almost any sound while Madison slept through everything and was so still in her sleep that Emily also found herself waking the baby at all hours to make sure she was okay._

 _Ellie began to squirm in the bassinet next to Emily and she fluttered her blue eyes open and closed, stretching her little arms above her head and slowly opening and closing her little mouth. Alison looked at Emily, then to the bassinet next to brunette and both of them just waited for the baby's screams to ripple through the room. Maddie continued to cry in Ali's arms and Emily leaned down, trying to stop the crying so Ellie might drift back off but it was no use, Ellie screams were already matching her sisters._

 _Ali looked at Emily with a guilty grin her face and her eyes widened. "Whoops"_

XXXXXXXXXX

Suddenly the same fear washed over her again and she found her mind back in the same panic-stricken nightmare of her little girl not waking up.

"Madison" Ali called, gently tapping the three month olds little body.

"Maddie" she repeated, nudging the baby a little harder this time. When the three month old continued to remain still Ali panicked and swooped her up, holding her up in front of her and shouting her name.

Madisons bright blue orbs slowly fluttered open and her lips quivered before loud whimpers erupted from her mouth.

Ali exhaled the breath she didn't know she was holding and pulled Madison in closer to her chest, swaying gently to try to settle her before Ellie woke up.

"I'm sorry baby...I'm sorry" Ali cooed to the screaming three month old. "Mommy's sorry"

Seeing Madison hooked up to all those machines was an image that haunted Alison every night. The look on Emily's face when she had to wake the blonde in the middle of the night to tell her that their daughter had stopped breathing and had to be revived, for the second time in 24 hrs was a look that she never wanted to see on her wife's face ever again. It was images like those that haunted her dreams every night and both women were living in constant fear of their little girl falling asleep and not waking up. The past three months have been filled with sleepless nights, laying awake and watching their girls sleep and this day, being alone with the girls, was a day Ali had been dreading since they were born.

* * *

Emily spent the majority of her morning distracted, her mind drifting back to her girls at home. She stepped out of her second period chemistry class to ring Ali, and when there was no answer her mind started running through different scenarios. She managed to calm herself by saying that Alison was probably too busy watching the twins to pick up the phone and went back to finish teaching her class.

When the bell rang for lunchtime Emily dismissed her seniors and made her way to Arias classroom for a quiet lunch. They discussed the range of new students that had enrolled this year, as well as some of the problematic ones that they both figured would give them a hard time. When Aria went to the door to talk to one of her seniors who had knocked and asked to speak to her about an essay contest, Emily sat back and dialed her wife's number, pressed the call button and put the phone up to her ear.

 ** _'Hey this is Alison, Can't take you call right now but you know what to do.'_**

Emily sighed after hearing Alisons voicemail for the third time today and put her phone down on Arias desk. She looked at the box of noodles in front of her but she had suddenly lost her appetite. Ali had promised to stay near her phone and call her if there was anything wrong, but this silence was torture and she needed to know if everything was okay. She knew she didn't have time to fly home and check on them since she had a meeting with all the swimmers of RHS after lunch so there really wasn't anything else she could do.

"Everything okay?" Aria chirped, placing her hand on Emily's shoulder before taking a seat on her chair.

"I don't know" Emily sighed. "Ali hasn't picked up the phone all day"

"She's probably busy" Aria reassured her. "The girls have been fussy lately, haven't they?"

"Yeah Ellie has been really hard to handle the past few days"

"You know how crazy thing get Em, she probably forgot" Aria smiled, twirling her fork into her box of noodles and taking a mouthful.

"Yeah...You're probably right" Emily trailed off, playing with the food in front of her.

"Sure isn't Hanna off today? why don't you call her and ask her to go over, put your mind at ease" Aria suggested, twisting her bottle of water open and taking a sip.

* * *

After the girls woke up a little over an hour ago Alison's unusually easy morning quickly went downhill. After Ali woke Madison, the three month olds wailing woke her sister from her nap and Ellie hadn't stopped crying since. She refused the boob, didn't need a diaper change, spat out her binky and turned her head from the variety of stuffed animals and toys the blonde placed in front of her. Every time Ali let her squirming daughter down and put her in the swing, or the bouncer, or the playmat to give Maddie some attention, the three month olds screams just got louder and louder until Ali picked her up again. Madison was becoming fussy from lack of attention and wanted to be held so she cried in the bouncer until Ali picked her up and It was like a competition between the two of them to see who could scream louder in Alis arms.

A few minutes later the doorbell rang. Ali walked into the living room and looked in the direction of the frontdoor to see who it was. Sure enough her blonde friend and business partner stroller through the door, her hair thrown into a messy bun and her black prada sunglasses covering half her face.

"Good morning ladies" Hanna greeted over the screams, placing her bag and the two large starbucks iced vanilla lattes onto the coffee table in the living room before walking over to her nieces in Alis arms.

"Thank god you're here. Could you take her?" Ali pleaded, nodding to one of the screaming babies in her arms.

"Here pretty lady, come to Aunty Hanna" The blonde cooed as she tried to grab the baby from Alison's arms but was unsuccessful when three month old gripped onto the hem of Ali's t-shirt with both hands.

"Here take Madison" The blonde sighed, allowing Hanna access to the baby whose head was nestled into the crook of her neck.

"Well at least one of my nieces loves me" Hanna joked, cradling Madison in her arms and using her thumb to wipe the tears from her little face.

"Ellie has been like this the past few days, I think she's coming down with so..."

"Yeah, she's definitely coming down with something" hanna finished, looking at the large amount of spit up that had just flowed out of Ellie's mouth and down the front of Alis oversized t-shirt.

"Shit" Alison whispered, placing Ellie on her shoulder and gently patting her back.

"Thank god she refused to come to Aunty Han, isn't that right Maddie" Hanna squealed to the baby in her arms, whos crying had now subsided to soft whimering.

By 12pm Hanna managed to settle Madison in the bouncer in the dining room with a fresh diaper and clean clothes. She propped a bottle of breast milk under her chin with a blanket and turned on the elephant mobile hovering above her before making her way to the bathroom to help Ali with Ellie. The blonde walked down the hall and into the bathroom to see Ali kneeling down and leaning over the bathtub, holding the screaming baby in the water and sponging her down to try to lower her temperature.

"Here look, ill take over...You need to change you smell like vomit" Hanna said as she kneeled down next to her blonde best friend.

"No Han, it's fine I got her" Ali breathed, raising her right arm in the air and using the back of her elbow to try to push the hair out of her face.

"Ali...Seriously, I know how to handle babies, I have one of my own"

Alison looked down at her daughter, her little face was red raw as she screamed bloody murder and she squirmed around furiously trying to get out of the tub. Ellie was never a fan of bath time, and today was definitely no exception to that fact. "Okay" she sighed.

The sponge bath had successfully lowered Ellies temperature and when Hanna took her out of the bath she lifted her up to the nursery where Ali was getting a fresh diaper and clean clothes ready to put on her.

"Shhh it's okay Ellie, it's okay baby girl" Ali cooed as she took her daughter off the blonde and lifted her over to the changing table.

After changing Ellie, Alison spent a few minutes laying on the bed with her and feeding her while Hanna watched Maddie downstairs. It wasn't long before Ellie drifted off and instead of lifting her into the bassinet and risk waking her, Ali decided to prop pillows around her and leave her sleeping in the bed with one of the camera monitors facing her so she could keep an eye on her from downstairs.

"She okay" Hanna asked from the dining room chair, biting down on the straw of her vanilla iced latte and flicking through the fashion magazine on the table in front of her.

"Yeah" Ali signed, slouching back on the chair across from the Hanna and placing the monitor on the table. The exhausted blonde pulled a teddy bear out from underneath her and tossed it on the sofa in front of her before reaching forward and taking the vanilla iced latte that Hanna had got her. "Shes fast asleep"

"All that screaming must have tired her out" Hanna chuckled, sitting back and folding her arms and looking down at her niece.

"I'd say she's down for a few hours at least. She was up all night last night" Ali trailed off, smiling at Madison in the bouncer in front of her, so quiet and content with her binky in her mouth, staring up at the mobile hovering above her. She was definitely the calmer, more laid back baby of the two.

"Ohya I forgot to say, Emily called me freaking out that you weren't answering your phone"

"Shit" Ali whispered, scanning her eyes across the dining room table and looking up to the kitchen island in front of them for her phone. "I forgot to call her"

"Hmm" Hanna mumbled as she swallowed the coffee in her mouth. "Don't worry. I text her when I got here to say everything was fine"

"Thanks Han." Ali gazed at her daughter in the bouncer and blew out air from her cheeks. "I don't know what ill do if everyday is like today"

"It gets easier babe" Hanna reassured her. "Sure i was like an emotional wreck when Caleb went back to work, but you get the hang of it. It helped me a lot to go on walks, bring Evie to my moms and let her watch her while I took naps upstairs"

"I'm serious" Hanna chuckled to the laughing blonde next to her. "Caleb would come home and wonder where I found the energy to clean the house AND watch Evie...little did he know my mom played a huge part in it"

Ali shook her head and laughed, then sighed as she looked around the messy kitchen and dining room. "Speaking of cleaning the house"

Hanna waved her hand in the air and trailed her eyes around the dining room. "Mess is natural when you have kids, I wouldn't give it a second look"

"Yeah" Ali yawned. "Your right"

The rest of the week went by a lot smoother for Ali. After the hectic morning she had on Monday Pam had offered to take the evening shifts at her job so she could help Ali out with the twins while Emily was at work. It really did comfort Ali to have someone else there with her, especially someone like Pam who had grown a real bond with her grandchildren. Ellie was still really fussy through the week but Ali had found walking around the block in the stroller really helped to calm her down.

It was now friday evening and Emily had just dismissed her first swim practice of the year. Tryouts were held early on Tuesday morning and Wednesday evening after school and Emily was blown away with the turnout. There was fierce potential in the new students and her usual star swimmers had reclaimed their spots on the team. She had a solid line up in place and couldn't wait to get back into a normal routine next week with her chemistry classes and swim team in full swing.

She knew she had so much work to do for monday. Inputting the times from today's practice, preparing work for next weeks chemistry classes and printing off all the medical forms for her swimmers wasn't even scratching the surface with what she needed to get done. She decided that she would work through lunch and her free period on Monday morning to get it done because all she wanted right now was to go home and spend time with her family.

* * *

"Alright, here you go" Emily cooed, moving the baby spoon towards her daughters lips. "Oh, is that a no? You don't like peas." She looked at the curly haired baby with a scrunched face "It's awful, isn't it?"

"What about you, Ellie?" She smiled, rolling the office chair closer to the other high chair. "Ellie, do you wanna try the peas?" she grinned, circling the spoon near her daughters face to get her attention. "You wanna...No." she sighed when Ellie turned her head to the side, her toothless grin covering her face.

"Okay, why do I get the feeling both of your first words are gonna be no?"

The sound of the front door shutting and keys being dropped in the bowl in the hall made Emily look up. "Oh" the brunette exclaimed with an excited expression on her face as she stood up and pulled Maddie out of her high chair. "Mommy's home"

Ali walked towards her girls and smiled as loud murmurs and squeals escaped Ellie and Maddies lips.

"Hello mommy" Emily Cooed, taking Madison's little hand in hers and waving it at the blonde.

"Hello baby girl" Ali smiled as she walked up to the four month old in Emilys arms. "Hey beautiful" she said as she placed a kiss on Emily's lips.

"Ahhhh" Ellie squealed, smacking the tray of her highchair with both hands and looking up to her Mommies.

"Hey sweet girl" Ali squeeled to Ellie, pulling her out of the chair and resting her on her hip.

"How was work" Emily asked as she wiped Maddies face with the bandana-like bib around her neck.

"It was good" Ali trailed off, smiling down to Ellie in her arms. "How about you, what did you three do for the day?"

"We had lots of fun. Didn't we girls?" She grinned to her daughters.

"Oh really?" Ali widened her eyes and smiled. "What did you do?"

"Well, to start off we went to the park with Aunty Aria and Jane. Then we went home and had a nice long nap and after lunch grandpa called over and asked if his granddaughters wanted a sleepover...and Mama said yes. Didn't she Ellie" the brunette sang to the twins.

"What?" Ali questioned with furrowed brows.

"Grandma and Grandpa are going to watch you girls tonight so Mommy and I can have a nice night in. Isn't that right Maddie" She squealed, tickling her daughter's stomach and grinning as little giggles fell out of her mouth.

"Em...We can have a nice night in with them in the house" Ali explained with a nervous chuckle.

"Not without one of them screaming for something and then waking up the other. And trying to settle them leads to one of us falling asleep before the night even gets started if you know what I mean" Emily trailed off, shaking her head with her eyes wide open.

"But what if..."

"Babe" Emily interrupted with a soft smile. "If My parents can handle the twins during the day they are fully capable of watching them for the night. Come on we need this, we haven't had a night alone since they were born." Emily knew it was going to be hard to convince Ali to spend a night away from the girls. It was hard enough for her dad to convince her to let him and Pam take the twins for the night but they needed this, they needed some time to themselves.

"Trust me, I want this as much as you do but I don't like being away from them, especially not for a full night" Ali explained.

"And neither do I." The chemistry teacher put her hand on Alis elbow and trailed it down to her arm, swaying their interlocked fingers from side to side. "But we need some time to ourselves babe. We barely get any time alone, your back to work now and I'm back to work so when we get home all our remaining energy is put into watching the girls."

Ali thought about it for a few seconds. Emily was right, they did need some time alone. Reconnecting was hard when, everytime things got heated you were interrupted by one of the twins or sometimes when one was in the mood the other would be too tired from attending to the needs of two babies all day. She looked down her two, almost five month old daughters and smiled before caving in and agreeing with her wife.

Emily and Alison spent the next hour packing the twins bags and making sure they had everything the needed to spend the night in their grandparents house.

"Should we give them the stroller?" Ali called out from the side of the bed where she was changing the twins diapers and putting on fresh clothes. "You know how Ellie gets when she's fussy and the stroller always helps calm her down"

"Yeah...stroller. Definitely the stroller" Emily exclaimed as she walked into their bedroom with the last of the stuff to be put into the overnight bags.

Emily scratched her temple and closed her eyes as she made a mental checklist in her head, trying to think if they had everything packed. "Bouncer" she looked up and clicked her fingers. "Maddie loves the bouncer, should we give them one of the bouncers?"

"Oh, Yeah" Ali said, buttoning up a squirming Ellie's babygrow and watching as the four month old bit down on a rubber duck. "Is there enough milk? should I pump some more?"

Emily looked into one of the three bags near the door and silently counted the bottles. "Nope...no there's plenty there"

"Ohh" Ali smiled with a high pitched voice when she heard the doorbell ringing. "That must be grandma and grandpa." The blonde picked Ellie up and rested her on her hip. "Can you please pick up Maddie"

"Of course" the brunette smiled, walking over and scooping up the blue eyed baby.

 **(Listen to the song Heaven, by Bryan Adams while reading the end:)**

Pam and Wayne left with the girls a little over an hour ago and Emily and Ali decided to take a spin around rosewood, singing along to the lyrics of 'Heaven' by Bryan Adams. It was their song. An oldie but a goodie. It was the song they listened to all the time, the one that Emily had played when she gave Ali that ring on top of the Eiffel Tower and it was one of the special songs played at their wedding.

They got out at the lookout point over Rosewood, looking down at the beautiful moonlit town they both love. They mightn't have said that 10 years ago, none of them would have but somehow they all ended up back here, raising their families and pursuing their careers. Rosewood was their home now, and they couldn't wait to raise their girls here.

After the scenic drive home, brining up memories of the past and talking about the joys of life that are yet to come they stopped at the grocery store to pick up some wine and popcorn, got a large pepperoni pizza in the Italian takeaway restaurant down the street from the boutique and when they went home, took everything to their bedroom to watch a movie.

"Uhh, that feels so good" Ali breathed with closed eyes from her comfortable position between Emilys legs, her back pressed against Emily's front as the brunette dug her thumbs into her tense shoulders.

"That's the work of my magic fingers" Emily whispered in the blondes ear, trailing her hands down the front of Alis neck and feeling goosebumps form on the pale skin beneath her fingers.

"You know..." Ali trailed off with a soft chuckle. "You know that girl I told you about. The one who was flirting with me in the boutique last week"

"Yeah" Emily sighed with furrowed brows, wondering where this conversation was going.

"She..." Alis shoulders shook as she tried to stifle her laughter. "Ohhhh...she walked into the boutique earlier to me and Hanna and gave me her number"

Emily's hand motions on Alis shoulders came to a halt and she jerked her head in front of her wife. "She what?"

"Yeah" Ali sniggered "Despite the fact she knows very well that I'm in a committed relationship with my WIFE and have two kids"

"What did you do? Did you take it?" Emily asked, the worried tone in her voice showing.

"Hell no" Ali scoffed "But that's not the funny part." The blonde let out a loud giggle. "She came back less than an hour later and cracked onto Hanna."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Do y _ou want to do the walk in interviews next Thursday or Friday?" Ali asked._

 _Hanna chewed on the lid of her pen and looked down at the delivery docket in her hands. "Ehm, Thursday works better for me"_

" _Ya I was thinking the same" Ali said as she typed on the computer behind the counter._

 _"We need to..." Hanna paused when she spotted the brunette woman who was walking towards the boutique doors. "Fuck she's back"_

 _Ali looked out to see who Hanna was talking about and sighed when she saw it was the woman from earlier who chatted her up and gave her her number "Are you serious...Damn, that girl can't take no for an answer"_

" _Here, walk away. I'll handle this" Hanna said as she took Ali's spot behind the counter. "Hurry" She whispered, pushing the blonde away as the taller lady quickly approached._

 _The curly haired brunette walked in through the shop door, her handbag hanging from her arm and a flirty grin on her face._

" _Hi can I help you with something" Hanna asked the brunette who was scanning her eyes around the store, seemingly looking for Ali._

" _Uhm yes, Actually. Is Alison here?" She chirped, rocking back and forth on her heels._

" _Oh" Hanna tsked, placing the sheets in her hands on the counter in front of her. "You just missed her actually, she went to lunch with her WIFE" The blonde air quoted the word wife and watched as the brunette woman rolled her eyes._

" _Shame" The woman sighed, twirling a brunette curl in her finger and looking absentmindedly at the floor in front of her. "Can I get you to leave her a message"_

 _ _"No" Hanna replied with a tight lipped smile. "Listen, I don't know what you agenda is here, but as you ALREADY know, Alison is happily married with two kids"__

" _Hmmm" The brunette smirked, a little taken back by Hannas tone. "Feisty"._

 _Hanna inhaled a deep breath and folded her arms as the woman walked closer to the counter. She pursed her lips together and gazed at Hanna. "I didn't catch your name actually"_

 _Hanna leaned closer to the woman "That's because I didn't throw it"_

 _The tall brunette leaned against the glass counter with both hands and looked down at the display, chuckling softly to herself. "You know, I have a thing for feisty blondes"_

" _Nooo way" Hanna widened her eyes in awe._

" _Hmm Hmm". The pale woman held her gaze in the icy bly orbs. "Blondes are sorta my thing"_

" _Yeah, I got that" Hanna sneered._

" _Gowan" The brunette said with a joking eye roll "Ask me out"_

 _Hanna looked at her and nodded, a little impressed with the woman's confidence. "Okay" Hanna sighed "Can you go out please?'"_

 _The brunette sniggered to herself. "Your so funny"_

" _Hilarious...aren't I" Hanna said in a strong and sarcastic voice._

 _The brunette exhaled a deep breath and looked around the shop one more time. "So will you tell Alison I stopped by"_

 _Hanna rolled her eyes and sighed. "Hunny, get the hint. You have no chance with Ali, and although I am flattered by your kinky kindness, you've no chance with me either. We are both in committed relationships so the next time you come in here it better not be to crack onto either of us, especially Alison"_

" _Well, can't blame me for trying". She raised her hands and then smacked them on her thighs. As she walked backwards out of the shop she held her gaze on Hanna, shooting her a flirty wave and dropping her head with a wide smile when Hanna threw one back, jokingly of course._

 _Alison, who had watched the whole thing unfold from behind the stockroom door, broke out in a loud cackle when she walked towards the blonde._

" _Oh my god" Hanna laughed. "I thought she'd never leave"_

" _That..." Ali said, stifling her laughter. "That was the funniest thing ever"_

" _Ohhhh..." Hanna trailed off, wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes. "have to say...I give her an A for effort"_

XXXXXXXXXX

"What is that woman's deal" Emily scoffed, leaning her chin on Alis head with her arms wrapped around the front of her body. "I mean really like...what a bitch"

"Uhhh..." Ali trailed off with furrowed brows. "Em, I told you the story so you could laugh, not get pissed off that some random chick that I dont care about dropped me her number"

"I hate when people want whats mine, I see the way people look at you. All those hungry glares from men at the park, and that lady at the store yesterday who wouldn't stop looking at you until I grabbed your ass and kissed you."

"Emily, have you ever seen the looks that are thrown your way when when we're out"

"No"

"Exactly" Alison widened her eyes "And I dont take any notice of the people that look at me because you are my only focus, you and our girls. Theres no way I would ever let ANYONE get in the way of us."

"Promise". Emily pouted out her bottom lips and looked down at Ali with doggy eyes.

"I promise" Ali rolled her eyes and smiled her best dimpled smile. There was no way anyone could ever get between them, there love was immortal.

"Actually, can you do me a favour" Emily mumbled against Alisons hair, trailing her hands around the front of the blondes naked body.

"Hmm?" Ali mumbled, her eyes closed at the sensation of Emilys fingers on her skin.

"Can you give that bitch my number next time she comes into the store, pretend its yours and i'll set her straight"

"Okay" Ali chuckled, leaning her head back against Emilys breast and looking into her wifes brown orbs. "I love you"

"I love you too" Emily smirked as she leaned her head down and took the blondes lips in hers for a lingering kiss. A kiss heated instantly when Ali turned around and grinded her thigh against Emilys centre.

"You and me, forever" The blonde breathed into the kiss and she could tell by the way Emily tackled her onto her back that it was going to be one of those nights where her wife is insatiable.


	13. Milestone after Milestone

**So, I was a lot busier than I expected to be this week and couldn't find time to edit this chapter. I'm going to try to get ahead on my writing over the next few days so I can be a few chapters ahead all the time, I think that system will be easier.** This chapter is centred around the twins **, I really wanted to show their personalities and their interaction with their cousins and the rest of the group.**

 **On another note I'm so excited for The Perfectionists to come out. I can't wait to see how they fit Ali and Mona into it and of course I can't wait to see Emison. It's so great to see the PLL family alive again. What do you guys think of the cast? I honestly think this show is going to blow up and become just as successful as pretty little liars. I started rewatching season 7 of pll again and all the Emison scenes are just giving me life hahah, they are by far the best couple:)**

 **Please follow my story if you liked it and leave a review, let me know what you think I love reading your feedback.**

 **Thank you so much to the reviewer sprtzgal1213 for the lovely reviews. You should check out their story 'Coming Home'. It's such a great fic and honestly one of the best Emison fanfics i've read...and i've read a lot.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Milestone after Milestone.**

On a sunny morning at the beginning of May Ali woke up to the sound of waves crashing against the shore, seagulls singing in the distance and open mouthed kisses being placed on the back of her neck. She breathed deeply at the sensation of Emily's hand running up her oversized t-shirt, wrapping around her stomach and pulling her closer. She looked around the room and took in it's beauty. The morning sun was beaming in through the huge veranda window and a warm breeze wafted in through the slightly open veranda door. It was her first time actually seeing how big and open their room was. They arrived at the Malibu beach house really late last night. The twins had drifted off in the stroller when they were at the airport so Emily and Alison took advantage of that and jumped straight into bed. It had been a long and stressful day of travelling so it wasn't hard to drift into a peacefull sleep.

Alison turned around and met Emily's gaze, her chocolate orbs were filled with lust and her tanned face was glowing in the sun. The blonde trailed her thumb across Emily's cheek, catching the strand of brunette hair that fell over her face and tucking it behind her ear. Emily closed her eyes and kissed the palm of Ali's hand, trailing her arm down the curve of the blondes hip and pulling her closer and closer with each breath that left her body. Alisons face inched closer to the brunettes. She smiled her classic dimpled smile, taking in just how sexy her wife made a bedhead look. Alison looked to her wifes lips, then to her brown eyes before slowly connecting their lips in a passionate kiss. It was one of those kisses, one of those soft and gentle kisses that felt like their first kiss all over again. So much love and passion. Emily pulled away and scanned her eyes around the blondes face. "I think we should start this holiday off the right way" she rasped before meeting her wife's lips once again. This time the kiss much more heated and hungry. Ali quickly twirled her fingers in the brunettes hair and dragged Emily on top of her, only to be interrupted by saliva filled gurgles and the sound of little hands smacking against the side of the playpen. Emily reluctantly pulled away and slouched back onto her side of the bed. Both women looked in front of them to see Ellie with her little face squished against the netting on the inside of the playpen.

"Ayyyy" she squealed when she saw her Mommies watching her. She quickly stood up, holding the railing of the playpen for support and smiled up to the two women who loved her with all their heart.

"Hey Ellie bug" Emily grinned, fixing her t-shirt around her body.

"Good morning pretty girl" Ali chuckled down to her daughter.

Ellie gave Emily and Ali a toothy grin and left a few excited squeals before shooting her head around to her squirming sister next to her. Maddie lifted her head up, a little dark curl falling over her face and her binky falling out of her mouth. She crawled over to the side of the playpen and grabbed it, slowly but surely lifting her wobbly little body up and looking over to her Mommie's.

"Hello Maddie bear" Emily cooed to the one year old. Maddie rubbed her sleepy eyes and smiled, her little dimples and ruffled curls looking adorable like always.

Emily and Ali lay in the bed, the morning sun glowing against their bodies as they watched their two daughters play with each other, both of them identical in their navy and pink polka dotted onesies, piercing blue eyes, adorable dimples and dark, curly, ruffled hair. Their long eyelashes fluttered in the sunlight and little bodies squirmed happily around the playpen.

"I can't believe our babies are already one" Emily sighed, resting her head on her hand.

"I know" Ali breathed. "They're growing up so fast"

"First birthday is gone by. First Christmas is gone by. Pretty soon it will be their first day of school...Their first date even" Emily said, her eyes widening in realisation.

"Don't remind me" Ali sighed. "I'm not ready for them to grow up." She pouted out her bottom lip and watched the interaction between her one year old daughters. Ellie seeming a lot more energetic as she squirmed over a yawning Madison. They may have been identicle twns but their personalities were so different. Ellie was, and always had been a morning person just like Emily, both of them up at the crack of dawn each morning, Emily going for a run with Ellie in the stroller or making the breakfast with the one year old close by in her high chair while Madison prefered to lay in bed with Ali for an extra few minutes every morning, either for a snuggle or a little extra sleep.

Both women watched from the bed as Ellie pulled a grey elephant from Madison's hands. The same elephant that had belonged to Emily when she was a baby which Madison had grown really attached to over the past few months.

"3...2...1" Alison finished just as Maddie started crying. Emily shook her head and smiled to her wife.

"Ohh it's okay" the brunette cooed as she jumped out of the comfort of the sheets and made her way towards the playpen. "Ellie just wants to share with you"

Maddie sat against the netting, her face scrunched in distress as loud screams erupted from her little mouth. She held out her hands when she saw Emily approaching. The brunette stood in front of the playpen and quickly picked her daughter up, fixing her on her hip before reaching down for Ellie. She then made her way back to the Queen sized bed, one baby on each hip.

"Come here sweet girl" Ali cooed, holding out her hands to Maddie who leaned forward and reached for her Mommy.

Emily put Ellie down on the end of the bed and made her way back under the covers next to her wife. She then rested her head on her hand and watched both her daughters on the bed. Down at her hip was Ellie, smacking her hands against the sheets covering her tanned body and babbling and squealing to herself while Madison lay on the pillow next to Ali, sucking on her binky and trailing her little hands across her Mommys face.

"You coming up for a hug?" Emily cooed as Ellie crawled up her body and lay her head on her chest.

Ali smiled over at Ellie cuddled into Emily. Her twin daughters really were the image of her wife. It was adorable watching the brunette talking down to Ellie, rubbing circles on her little back.

"Huh, whos that" Ali whispered when they heard a knock on the bedroom door.

"Come in" Emily called out. Ellie crawled off Emily's chest and bounced up and down on her knees when she saw her aunt walk through the door.

"Breakfast is ready" Spencer smiled with her coffee cup clutched in her hands like it was her life source.

A few minutes later the girls made their way down the stairs to the big open kitchen looking out onto the beautiful Malibu beach. The downstairs area of the beachhouse was just as beautiful as the upstairs. The morning sunlight beamed in through the windows and brighthened up the already bright, white kitchen and dining area. Ali walked in with Madison in her arms, her little head resting on the blondes shoulder and her elephants ear held tightly in her hand. Emily sauntered in behind them holding an independent Ellies hand and helping her waddle on the slippery white tiles.

"Good morning" Alison called out over the chatter and the sound of sizzling bacon.

"Morning" Spencer smiled, bouncing Haven on her knee as she handed her pieces of chopped up toast.

"Hey" Noah called out with a wave and an adorable grin from the seat next to Spencer.

"Hey Noah" Emily sang to the six year old as her and Ali walked towards the table. "Hmmm, good work boys" she smiled to Ezra, Toby and Caleb, three of them laughing and talking as they buttlered around the kitchen to prepare the breakfast.

"You want coffee girls?" Caleb called out from the sink as he dried his hands with the towel thrown over his shoulder.

"Yess please" Ali smiled as she took a seat across from Spencer. "Two sugars" Emily added, picking up the waddling one year old from the ground and resting her on her hip.

"Good morning Pretty Ladies" Aria cooed to Ellie and Madison. Ellie let out excited squeal and smacked her hands on the table in front of her while Maddie wrapped her arms around Alis neck, sucking on her binky and staring absentmindedly at the beautiful scenery out the large veranda windows in front of them.

"You wanna say Hi to everybody" The blonde encouraged her daughter. Madison closed her eyes and nestled her head further into the crook of her Mommy's neck in response.

"Someone's not a morning person" Spencer said with a sad smile which quickly turned into a worried, wide eyed expression. "Em!" She raised her voice and reached her hand across the table to Ellie.

"Heyyyyyy" Emily chuckled, pulling the sharp knife from Ellie's tight grip and moving it into the middle of the table along with the rest of the cutlery around them.

Ellie screeched lougly as she reached both arms out as far as she could. She used her leg to push off Emilys stomach and knocked a large glass of water in the process.

"Whoops" Ali sang while moving the plate of bread rolls and the cups away from the puddle of water. Spencer and Aria passed them some napkins and Emily combined them with her own to soak up the liquid that was quickly spreading across the table.

"I got it Em" Toby smiled as he walked towards the table with a towel in his hand.

"Thanks Toby" Emily smiled. She bounced Ellie on her knees and looked down to her. Her little mouth was wide open in the shape of an 0. "Uh Oh" Emily said as she pointed to Toby cleaning up the mess.

Toby looked at his niece with his hand to his mouth and his eyes wide open. Ellie gave him a toothy grin and clapped her hands which everyone at the table could only laugh at. She really was a little troublemaker.

"Jane, come over here and eat your breakfast" Aria called out from the seat next to Spencer as she chopped up a slice of toast into little bite sized pieces. "Come on sweetie" she continued to the little brunette who was standing at the veranda window, fully intrigued in the beach right outside.

"Go Beach" she squealed, resting her face against the glass.

"Yeah" Aria smiled before she stood up and walked towards her daughter, grabbing her little hand and coaxing her back over to the table. "We will go to the beach after you eat all your breakfast okay"

"Where's Hanna" Emily questioned, standing a squirming Ellie on her knees who had found entertainment in ripping up a napkin.

"On her way down" Spencer answered as Toby handed his sandy haired daughter a bottle of milk.

"Speak of the devil" Ali smiled. Everyone looked up and watched as Hanna trailed towards them holding Evie on her hip.

"Morning" Hanna smiled over the excited squeals from her daughter.

"Dada" Evie mumbled over the binky in her mouth, reaching her hands out to Caleb who was wiping down the counter near the gurgling coffee machine.

"Morning princess" he cooed to his daughter, lifting her out of his wife's arms and smothering her in kisses. "Morning Babe" he smiled as he pressed his lips against Hannas.

Hanna laughed at the men in the kitchen as she took a seat next to Ali, stifling a yawn and running her hand through her ruffled blonde hair. "Did you force them to cook or did they volunteer."

"They volunteered" Aria chuckled.

"Strange isin't it" Spencer added.

"Oh please" Toby called out with a smile. "I always help out in the kitchen"

"Yeah" Caleb chimed in with jokingly hurt expression on his face.

"Mom" Noah called out, tapping his mother's shoulder as she talked among her friends.

"Yes sweetie" Spencer questioned, wiping butter from Havens mouth with the Blue bib around her neck.

"I'm finished. Can I go play with Jane?" he pointed to the little brunette kneeling against the window who had repeatedly refused to sit still for Aria and eat her breakfast.

"Sure" Spencer ruffled the six year olds hair and watched him scoot off the chair and run towards his cousin.

"Noah" Emily called after her nephew. "Can you bring Ellie with you." She gestured to the squirming baby in her arms who was murmuring loudly and squirming to be left down.

The girls watched as Noah held Ellies hand and slowly walked over to the window. Evie pointed to her cousins from her dad's arms and shouted "down" before running over to join them.

"Any sign of Maddie walking yet?" Aria asked, watching the curly haired baby suck on her binky and play with the grey elephant in her hands, laying peacefully against Ali's chest.

"I'd say any day now" Ali smiled as she held a slice of banana in front her her daughter, watching as she grabbed it willingly and tossed her binky on the floor.

"Yeah" Emily chimed in, running her hand through her ruffled hair. "She seems to be getting a lot of encouragement from Ellie. You can see the frustration in her face when she's trying to keep up with her when they're playing"

"Ellie's not waking that long, is she?" Spencer questioned with furrowed brows, bouncing Haven on her knee.

"About two weeks" Emily answered with a smile. "She took her first steps the day before their birthday"

"Oh yeah, that's right" Spencer smiled in realisation.

"In a way I'm hoping Madison holds off a bit longer" Ali chuckled. "It's hard enough keeping up with one walking baby, imagine what it's going to be like with two"

"I know" Emily widened her eyes at Ellie who was waddling around the coffee table infront of the sofa.

"I miss the days before Jane could walk" Aria sighed.

"The good old days" Hanna added with smirk.

"Just wait until they say their first bad word" Aria chuckled before pressing her coffee cup to her lips. Hanna and Emily shared a knowing look.

"She dropped her bottle on the floor, looked down at it and shouted fuck" Aria mouthed the last word so Haven and Madison couldn't hear. Emily scratched her chin to hide the smirk on her face and Hanna stifled a giggle, both of them remembering back to the day in the park when Hanna dropped her coffee on the ground and Jane repeated the loud fuck that fell from her lips.

"Evie's speech is coming along so well" Hanna beamed proudly. "She's starting to make two and three word sentences now"

"Same with Haven" Spencer added with a proud smile. "She's way ahead of Noah when he was that age"

"The twins are saying random words" Ali smiled. "Emily's coaching them to say Mama while I'm coaching them to say Mommy"

"They have the Ma part, they just need a bit more encouragement for the rest" Emily added as she cut up more banana for Maddie.

"More encouragement" Ali chuckled. "I woke up at 3am this morning and heard you saying Mama over and over again to Ellie when you were feeding her"

"Mama" Haven shouted, looking up to Spencer who smiled and nodded in encouragement.

"Mama" Ellie repeated in a louder voice as she waddled towards Emily with her arms held out.

Emily felt her breath hitch when she heard the husky little voice shout Mama. "Yess" The brunette widened her eyes, quickly swooping her daughter up from the ground. "I'm your Mama"

"Good girl Ellie bug" Ali chuckled with her hand to her heart, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Can you say it again" Emily encouraged, swaying the little brunette from side to side with a proud smile across her face.

"Mama" Ellie repeated over and over again, shaking her hands excitedly in the air and kicking her legs against Emilys side.

Everyone in the room cheered and beamed in excitement at the one year olds first official word, Even Haven clapped her hands and joined in with her cousin saying "mama"

Once everyone settled around the table with their breakfast, A really proud Emily managed to get Ellie to sit still and she coaxed her to eat a mixture of Bananas and chopped up toast, even though the squirming one year old in her arms was way more interested in what was on Emily's large plate in front of her as she stuck her fingers into the variety of colours and flavours and tasted them.

Madison sat back on Ali's arms, one foot resting on the table as she sipped milk from the bottle Ezra had heated up for her. She kept catching Ezra's gaze from across the table and laughed hysterically at the faces he made at her while everyone around her smiled at the cute interaction between the two.

Eating breakfast with Ellie resting on her knees wasn't the easiest task for Emily. The one year old pulled the food off the fork as it entered Emily's mouth, almost choked on a piece of scrambled egg and stuck her little hand into the, thankfully, lukewarm coffee in front of her. Ellie dropped her head back and looked up to Emily. Her pretty blue eyes met her mothers brown orbs and Emily couldn't wipe the smile off her face when the one year old whispered "Mama."

* * *

A few hours later Emily and Ali trailed outside the beachhouse and down the patio steps right onto the beach. Ellie waddled alongside Ali while Madison grasped both Emily's hand and did her best to keep up with her sister, both of them squealing happily at the sensation of the white sand touching their feet for the first time. The twins looked equally adorable in their floral swimsuits with their little curls peeking out from underneath the pink sun hats that their grandparents had got them for their first Holiday.

It took them a little longer than the rest to get ready, between Maddies little poop explosion and Emily not being able to find their swimsuits in the large suitcase, they were the last ones to walk down to their friends on the beach.

Ali immediately topped the twins suncream off when she felt the intensity of the sun against her shoulders while Emily lay out a beach towel and scattered an assortment of toys on it to keep the girls happy. She then sat the girls down and both her and Ali watched them crawl around and play with eachother.

"Dad" Noah nudged Toby who was laying down on one of the sun beds.

"Yeah buddy" Toby answered, his eyes still closed as he absorbed some much needed vitaminD.

"Can we play in the water" the little brunette asked.

Toby sat up and looked around at everyone. "Should we go to the..."

"Yes" Emily interrupted with a smile, already up off her sunbeds and getting her girls prepared to go down to the sea for the forst time.

"...Water" Toby finished with a soft chuckle, which Ali joined along with.

Minutes later they were all strolling down to the sea. Noah ran ahead and Jane draged her Dad by the hand to keep up with her cousin. Toby and Caleb weren't far behind with their daughters on their shoulders, both of them waving their little arms frantically in the air and squirming excitedly as they approached the sea. Emily and Hanna both held Maddie's hand, supporting her as she tried her best to waddle through the white sand. They left go of her hand a few times on the way down to see if she could walk by herself but each time they did she immediately wobbled and fell onto her backside. Ellie grabbed tightly onto Alisons hand as they approached the water, she was becoming a little uncomfortable at the sensation of the wet sand beneath her feet. Ellie was never a fan of bath time, she cried in the swimming pool every time her and Emily took the twins to the Y so Ali had a feeling the cold sea water wouldn't go down to well.

Madison squealed with joy as the first small wave hit against her little toes. She stomped in the water and splashed her feet up and down, smiling at Emily and Hanna who stooped down next to her and caught her hand to keep her steady. Ali looked down to Ellie, her little girl had her hand caught for dear life and reached up for Spencer as they got closer to the water. Just as the first wave that gave Maddie so much joy and happiness was going out, Ellie nervously toddled onto the cold water, her mom and aunts close by. Ali and Aria stooped down and waited for another little wave to come by, but the wave that did was a little bigger than anticipated. Emily saw it coming and quickly swooped Maddie up, holding her up in the air and squealing to her like nothing happened. Ellie on the other hand didn't have as much luck. Ali, Spencer and Aria were a little preoccupied trying to get a nervous one year old used to the water to notice the big wave come towards them. It quickly knocked Ali over to her side, made Aria lose her balance and toppled Ellie straight onto her belly. Ellies fell forward and went face first into the water but Spencer's motherly instincts kicked in and she scooped the screaming baby up in seconds.

Ellie chest was heaving and it looked like she was struggling for breath as she cried hysterically in Spencer's arms, water and sand dripping from her flushed face.

"It knocked the wind out of her" Spencer quickly blurted as Emily and Ali gathered around their daughter. "She's okay" the brunette reassured the worried mothers, swaying the screaming one year old in her arms.

"I..i'm sorry, I should have been watching the water, I should have been watching more closely" Ali breathed from behind Spencer, watching as her daughter sobbed through heavy breaths over her aunts shoulder.

"It came out of nowhere Ali" Aria explained, placing a reassuring squeeze in the blondes shoulder as she herself felt her racing pulse slow down.

"It's okay Ellie bug" Emily called out with a sad smile, running her hand over the back of the dark curls.

"Everything okay?" Caleb questioned with Evie in his arms as he walked towards the girls, leaving Toby and Ezra a few feet away, looking questionably at the screaming baby whose arms were wrapped around Spencer's neck.

"Freak wave took out the baby" Hanna sighed with her hands on her hips.

Emily rolled her eyes at Hannas exaggeration and looked at Maddie. The little brunette was squirming furiously and reaching her arms out for the water, showing absolutely no interest in her crying sister next to her.

When Ellie caught her breath and calmed down she reached her hands out to Ali.

"You're okay sweet girl" the blonde smiled, swaying her daughter in her arms.

Ellie still had a tuc in her heart from the fright and she wrapped both arms around Ali's neck like her life depended on it.

"Well if she didn't like the water before, she definitely doesn't like it now" Hanna added.

"Come on" Ali cooed to the blue eyed baby. "Let's go back to the sand"

"No" Emily interjected, fixing a squealing Maddie on her hip. "She'll never get over her fear of water if we don't show her that there's nothing to be afraid of"

Ali looked at Emily uneasy, but she understood where the brunette was coming from.

"We can take her out for a while and calm her down" Emily trailed off. "Or we can stay here for a few more minutes and try to get her used to it"

Ali reluctantly agreed to stay in the water with Ellie. Her and Emily sat at the shallowest part of the sea, both daughters between their legs as the waves washed over them. Ellie whimpered for the first few, grabbing the strap of Ali's bikini and using all her strength to pull herself up but after a while she got used to it. It helped watching how much fun Madison was having next to her, as well as her cousins a few feet away.

After ten minutes in the water everyone was ready to get out and make their way back to their spot on the beach for something to eat and drink.

"See, the water is fun, isn't it?" Ali squealed to her two daughters, both of them sitting on the end of hers and Emily's sunbeds. They were adorable, wrapped in their yellow towels with the duck hoods pulled up over their heads, munching on one of the fruit bowls that Ezra had prepared in the beach house earlier.

After a eventful time in the water and a snack to keep the girls quiet, Emily sat the twins onto sand to play and hopefully burn some energy before naptime. Ali sat back and watched her daughters on the little towel a few feet from the sun chairs, both of them smacking the white sand with their little hands, playing with the assortment of watering cans and buckets, squealing between each other and crawling around their cousins. The proud blonde reached over and interlocked her fingers in Emily's, who was just as equally intrigued in the adorable scene unfolding in front of her. The two watched as one of the twins stood up, a little shaky at first but quickly regaining her balance. Her little blue eyes looked to Emily and Ali before quickly waddling towards the water.

"Ellie, come back here" Ali called out.

Emily sat up straight on the sunbed, pushing her sunglasses onto her head and narrowing her eyes. "That's not Ellie" she breathed out, looking at Alison with a smile on her face. "It's Madison"

"Madison...she's taking her first steps" Ali exclaimed, earning the attention of all of her friend who cheered to the unsteady one year old with smiles on their faces.

"And she's dangerously close to the water" Emily widened her eyes in realisation as she ran towards Maddie.

"She takes after her Mom" Alison beamed proudly. "Can't keep her out of the water"

* * *

That night the moonlight glistened against the water as peaceful silence washed over the group. The only sounds to be heard were the waves crashing against the white sand, crickets chirping in the distance and the crackling of the open fire in the middle of them.

"God, this place is beautiful" Hanna sighed as she leaned forwards and picked up the wine bottle that sat on the sand in front of her chair.

"It is" Ali smiled. Everyone else nodded in agreement.

Ali looked at Emily and interlocked their fingers. She looked into the her wifes brown eyes. The eyes that were filled with so much love and gratitude.

Today had been such a special day. It was the twins first holiday, their first time on the beach and their first time in the sea. Ellie said her first official word and Madison took her first steps. That's a whole lot of firsts. Their little girls really were growing up fast.

"Can you guys believe that this is our lives" Aria beamed.

"All these beautiful children running around" Ali grinned.

Hanna swallowed the wine in her mouth and breathed in through her nose. "I can't wait for them to grow up together"

"Me either" Spencer beamed.

"Five best friends...Just like us" Aria smiled, taking Spencers hand in her own. "And of course Noah, he'll be like their big brother. Giving them advice and standing up for them in school" she added.

"I'm so thankful for how my life panned out" Emily breathed out, looking to her wife at her side.

"Amen to that" Toby chuckled.

"Remember when Ali and Emily told us they were together" Spencer shook her head and smiled.

"I totally saw that coming" Hanna added proudly. "I remember I met up with them when me and Caleb came home for Christmas. The way they were looking at eachother. I just knew it."

"I'll admit" Aria held up her hands in defeat. "I was totally surprised. I mean I expected it, just not so soon"

"I always knew there was something between you two" Toby grinned before putting his beer bottle to his lips. Everyone smiled and nodded in agreement.

"I did too" Ali added, squeasing Emilys hand in her own. "It just took me until that night in the club to realise how much I wanted her, I knew I couldn't hide my feelings any longer"

"Babe" Hanna smacked Caleb's arm. "Why can't you say romantic things like that"

"I do" Caleb winced in response.

Hanna rolled her eyes. "Stop lying"

"Your beautiful" Caleb squeazed her thigh and Hanna smiled.

Everyone looked at Spencer when humming and singing from her 6 year old son erupted from the speaker of the baby monitor.

"I guess that's our cue to go" Toby raised his eyebrows.

"We haven't even opened the tequila yet" Hanna sighed.

"Oh no" Spencer chuckled as she took Tobys hand in hers and allowed him guide her to the veranda door. "I have two hyperactive kids that get up at 6am every morning. Tequila is a recipe for disaster"

"Yeah guys. We're going to head off too" Aria yawned, grabbing Ezra's hand in her own.

"Adios" Ezra waved after he chugged back the last of his beer.

"Its barely midnight" Hanna moaned as both couples made their way to the door. She looked to Emily and Ali with a pleading expression on her face.

Ali looked at the camera monitor on the handle of her chair to see her two daughters sleeping soundly in the playpen. She looked up to Emily with raised eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose we could have a few more glasses"

An hour passed and the drinks kept flowing. Hanna, Caleb, Ali and Emily spent their night singing along to some of their favourite songs, planning outings for the week ahead and laughing hysterically at memories from the past. It was like old times, getting drunk on a beach except this time they had to watch their intake because they had kids that didn't go well with hangovers. Well, Ali and Caleb watched their intake...Hanna and Emily figured they'd worry about the effects of the alcahol when the time came in the morning.

"To family" Caleb called out with his shot of tequila in the air.

"To family" Emily, Ali and Hanna repeated as they clinked their glasses together and shot them back.

Sitting back on the chair, Ali held Emilys hand and looked at her with a sneaky smirk on her face. Hanna watched as the blonde leaned back and whispered something into Emilys ear, which Emily responded to with a wide smile as she bit down on her bottom lip, squeasing Ali's thigh harder.

"You two are like horny teenagers" Hanna slurred.

Emily rested her head on Ali's shoulder and laughed.

"We're going to take a walk on the beach" Ali grinned as her and the brunette stood up from the chair.

"Yeah" Hanna sniggered. "A walk"


	14. You're the Pip to her Estella

**Hope you all had a great weekend:) Please leave a review and let me know what you think. Hope you enjoy xx**

* * *

 ** ** **Chapter 14: You're the Pip to her Estella******

"Can anyone tell me what chemicals we would use to prepare a sample of Carbon Dioxide for this experiment" Emily scanned her eyes around her classroom.

"Anyone" She sighed to the tired looking class in front of her. She looked to the only student who had his hand held up high in the air but her eyes quickly moved to the young girl cowered in the corner. "Macey, have you any idea?"

The young blonde shot her head up from her book and looked at her teacher. "Ehm...Dilute hydrochloric acid and...and marble chips" she answered, pushing her thick rimmed glasses further up her nose.

"That's right" Emily smiled as she clicked the remote in her hand and switched to the next slide on her powerpoint, showing the apparatus used to prepare Carbon dioxide with each chemical named by Macey highlighted.

"So, the dilute hydrochloric acid is dropped into..." The brunette trailed off when she saw a call coming through from Ali. She sighed to herself, thinking back to the argument they had earlier this morning. She already knew this phone call was probably going to consist of Ali giving her a piece of her mind following all the angry texts she had received from her a few hours before.

XXXXXXXXXX

" _I was going to go shopping with Hanna after work today, could you collect the girls from daycare?" Ali asked as she balanced a winging Madison on her hip and picked up her takeaway coffee cup from the kitchen island._

" _Ehm, I have practice today actually. Could you take them with you?" Emily questioned from her position on the ground where she was fixing the shoelaces of Ellie's navy converse._

" _You only have practice until 4 Em" Ali furrowed her brows after swallowing the coffee in her mouth._

" _Yeah...I know that but I was going to go to the gym with Spencer afterwards"_

" _So you get to to the gym but I can't go shopping" Ali scoffed, giving Emily that famous Dilaurentis glare that seemed to be appearing on her face a lot more lately._

 _Emily lifted Ellie up in her arms and swung her handbag over her shoulder. "I just presumed you were collecting th…"_

" _Oh, you presumed I was collecting them, just like you presume I'll do everything else around here" Ali interrupted in a loud, frustrated tone that caused Maddie's soft winging to turn into loud sobs._

" _Calm down Alison." Emily's jaw clenched with anger. "I'll collect them and bring them to my Moms Okay"_

" _Seriously" Ali chuckled, rubbing small circles on Maddie's back and swaying her from side to side to sooth her. "You're gonna dump the responsibility on your Mom...Again"_

 _Emily shook her head and laughed. "Fine, ill..."_

" _You know what, forget it" Ali spat as she stormed out of the kitchen. "I'll do it myself"_

"1...2...3" _Emily counted in her head, anger boiling up inside her. "_ 4...5...6" _she continued, inhaling deeply through her nose as she heard Alison spitting out remarks and making as much noise as she could in the living room, trying to make it as clear as she could that she was pissed off. "_ 7...8...9" _she trailed off, hearing Madisons screams become louder and louder. "...10..." She exhaled deeply and closed her eyes when Alison slammed the front door closed behind her. Counting always helped when her and Ali got in arguments. 10 seconds to calm down instead of lashing out at her wife. 10 seconds that made the world of a difference._

 _"You're Mommy's a tough one Ellie'"She sighed to her murmuring daughter. "I just hope she hasn't drove off without us"_

XXXXXXXXXX

"It's dropped into the marble chips in the beaker underneath it and they react together, sending Carbon dioxide into the gas jar" Macey spoke up shyly, breaking Emily from her thoughts.

"Well done" Emily smiled to the usually silent student. "So tonight I want you all to draw this diagram and read over the chapter on gases for the test next week. I want all A's okay...you guys are well able, you just need to put the effort into it" The chemistry teacher finished just as the bell rang.

"Kyra" She called out to the brunette just about to leave the classroom. "I missed you at training on Tuesday"

Kyra stopped in her tracks and twirled around on her heels. "I missed you too"

"Are you going to be there today?" Emily asked, the expression on her face hard and cold. "You know we're counting on you for the relay and If don't bother to show up to practise I'm going to have to replace you with someone who does...Understood"

Kyra swallowed hard, realising her playful remarks weren't going to be tolerated by her teacher today. "Y...Yeah coach, I'll be there"

Kyra quickly made her way out of the classroom and Emily's eyes darted to the young blonde in the corner packing her books into her bag. "Macy, can I speak to you please"

Macy kept her eyes on the ground as she approached the desk, realising she was probably about to get a grilling from her teacher just like Kyra did.

"Great job today, I want to hear your voice a lot more in my class. You've shown a real gift for chemistry the past few weeks so don't be afraid show it off."

Macey looked at Emily and her smile brightened. "Thanks coach, I will"

Once all the students filed out of her class Emily picked up her phone and called Alison back. Unsure of what to expect from the other side of the phone when her wife picked up, she let out a loud exasperated sigh which was heard by the blonde who had answered almost immediately.

"Well hello to you too Emily" Ali called out after she answered the phone.

"What's up" Emily asked as she exited out of the powerpoint displayed on her laptop.

There was a moment of silence from the other side of the phone, which Emily figured was Alison deciding if she wanted argue about Emily's bland greeting or just let it go. "The daycare called" the blonde finally spoke up. "Maddie isn't feeling too well. I know you probably have prior commitments but Hanna just went to meet up with her mom so I can't leave the store"

"Did they say what was wrong with her?' Emily questioned, the concern for her daughter quickly showing in her voice. "Is it a fever? A stomach ache?"

"She didn't say" Ali sighed.

"Did you not think to ask?" Emily questioned. "What if it's serious"

"Calm down Emily, if it was serious she would have said so...Anyway it's most likely her teeth, she was chewing down on everything in sight this morning, including my boob"

Emily closed her eyes and rubbed her hand across her forehead. "My mom is working so I'll ask someone to take over my classes"

"Yeah...you do that" Ali finished as she hung up the phone to Emily.

Emily rolled her eyes and sighed after Ali ended the call. She hated how much her and Alison were fighting lately, it seemed like they always found something to argue about no matter how big or small. She looked at the screensaver on her phone of her and Ali on top of the Eiffel tower and immediately her mood lightened, that week had been one of the happiest of her life: Ali had just proposed to her at the kissing rock and Emily decided the Eiffel tower was the best place to surprise her fiance with a ring of her own. What made even more special was the violinist playing the tune of their favourite song 'Heaven' by Bryan Adams when they were up there. Smiling to herself at the memory she turned her phone off and tossed it in her bag along with her keys, books and laptop. She then switched off the lights and made her way out of her classroom to ask one of her colleagues to supervise her classes after lunch.

On her way out of the school she knocked on Arias classroom, bizarrely the same classroom Ezra thought them in a few years before.

"Mrs Fitz, can I speak to you for a second" She called out from the doorframe to the petite brunette fully enthralled in the book infront of her while her class did that surprise test she was talking about in the teachers lounge earlier.

Aria scanned her eyes around to her students, all of who still had their heads down. She then stood up from her desk and walked towards the chemistry teacher.

"Hey" she smiled as she closed the door behind her. "Everything okay?"

'I have to go collect Maddie from daycare. Will you let Mr Hackett know I left early and fill me in if anything important comes up in that faculty meeting during lunch?'

"Sure" Aria smiled. "Is Maddie okay?"

"She's not feeling well" Emily sighed. "I knew she was a bit off this morning. She's been teething again lately so it's probably that."

"Oh" Aria widened her eyes with a sympathetic smile because Madison teething was worse than Noah...and Noah was bad.

"Yeah" Emily chuckled.

"Poor baby" Aria pouted out her bottom lip. "Tell her aunty Aria was asking about her"

"I will" Emily called back with a smile as she walked away from Arias classroom.

"Kyle" She heard Aria shout from the distance. "Copying Olivia's work won't get you that spot in Harvard. I want a two page essay titled why cheating is wrong on my desk by 9am tomorrow morning."

Emily chuckled to herself as she turned the corner and Arias voice became inaudible. She always smiled to herself in class when her students would file in after coming from English, all of them bitching about how much homework Mrs Fitz gave them or how she "has eyes at the back of her head" and "doesn't miss a thing". Then there were other times when they would talk about how inspirational she was and how she always goes that extra mile with all her students, taking time out of her busy day to meet with them and help them with college essays or anything else they might need. It was no wonder she became head of the English department in such little time.

Emily walked down the pavement leading to the daycare a little under twenty minutes later. They had started the girls in daycare when Emily went back to work at the beginning of September, just over three weeks ago. It was hard trusting complete strangers to watch your children but Hanna, Aria and Spencer all sent their kids there and said it was the best place around. Pam had offered to help out with the twins by taking evening shifts at work but the older woman was already doing do much and they didn't want to put that burden on her. It was so overwhelming on the first day Emily and Ali dropped them off at daycare. Ellie ran straight inside without a goodbye or a hug while Madison held onto Alis legs and screamed her little lungs out. It was heartbreaking to see two teachers pull her away and then watch her waddle up to the window, smacking her little hand against it as they walked past it.

Emily hadn't even taken off the whistle from around her neck when she walked through the doors of the daycare. She immediately spotted Ellie playing with blocks with Evie and Jane but didn't see Madison anywhere.

"Hey Mrs Dilaurentis-Fields" The daycare owner, Sally greeted her as she walked towards her.

"You can call me Emily" The brunette smiled. "Is Maddie okay"

"She was a bit fussy after you left this morning and about 30 minutes ago her temperature got very high. She was a bit upset so we said it was best to send her home." Sally explained as she directed Emily to her one year old daughter laying down on a beanbag next to Haven with one of the assistants reading them a book. When Maddie saw her Mom she rached her hands up, her little face flushed and stained with tears.

"My poor baby" Emily cooed as she leaned down and picked her daughter up. "You okay"

"Maybe a nap when she goes home would do her the world of good. Wake up feeling nice and refreshed" Sally smiled to the dark haired brunette resting her head on Emily's shoulder.

Both women jerked their heads around when they heard a loud crash from the other side of the room. Emily widened her eyes when she saw Ellie standing there with a box held high above her head and a large pile of blocks spilled around her.

"Uh oh" Ellie looked up with her mouth in the shape of an O. The little brunette spotted Emily and threw the box on the floor, just missing the little boy's head next to her.

"Mama" She squealed as she ran towards the swim coach.

"Hey Ellie bug" Emily smiled to her daughter, kneeling down and pulling her in for a hug. "Are you causing trouble again"

"She's fine" Sally smiled. "These things happen"

Emily placed a kiss on Ellies forehead and tousled her curly hair. "Go over and clean up your mess now okay" she smiled as she stood up, watching the one year old squealing in excitement as she ran towards her friends with her hands held high above her head for balance.

Emily contemplated bringing Ellie home too but figured it was best not too incase Maddie got fussy with her teeth, because when Maddie cried Ellie always made it her duty to outdo her sister and Emily was not up for an afternoon of screaming babies.

"I'm going to run there" Emily smiled to Sally, holding Madison close to her as she swayed her in her arms. "I'll be back to collect Ellie later on"

"That's perfect" Sally said, handing Emily Madisons frozen themed little backpack. "Feel better Maddie"

"Say bye to everyone" Emily whispered to her daughter but Maddie wasn't up for farewells, the little brunette simply snuggled her head further into the crook of her Moms neck and rasped "Iggy"

"Yeah baby" Emily cooed. "Iggy is waiting for you in the car."

* * *

"Come on Ellie bug, let's take off your jacket" Ali smiled as she placed her keys in the bowl on the hall table and dropped her bag on the floor. She trailed into the living room with Ellie on her hip where Elsa was mid way through "Let it go" on the TV. On the couch she saw Madison fast asleep on Emily's chest with her binky falling out of her mouth and her favourite elephant 'iggy' under her arm. She looked at Ellie and put her finger on her lip as they walked in to the kitchen.

After turning on the TV for Ellie and giving her some fruit in her high chair, Ali made her way back into the living room to Emily and Madison.

"Em" she nudged her wife on the chair. "Emily wake up" she whispered.

Emily fluttered her eyes opened and looked down to Ali with furrowed brows. "Your home early?"

'Yeah' Ali sighed as she fixed the blanket on Maddie's back. "Hanna said she'd stay and wait for Lisa to come in"

Emily nodded and looked down to the one year old sleeping soundly on her chest.

"How is she" Ali asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over them.

"She fell asleep right after we got home. She was really fussy in the car and chewing on everything. It's definitely her teeth"

"Yeah" Ali agreed. "There's drool all over your boob"

"That's okay" Emily chuckled softly. "What time is it?"

"Just passing 2:30" The blonde answered.

Emily very slowly sat up, pulling the blanket off her and carefully resting Maddie over her shoulder. "I'm going to head back to work for practice. I'll put her upstairs to her crib"

Ali slouched back on the chair and ran both hands through her hair. "Are you still going to the gym with Spencer"

"No, I'm not" Emily muttered so it was barely audible to the blonde.

* * *

When Emily walked in through the main doors on RHS the last bell had just rung. There was a swarm of eager students shuffling to their lockers and getting their books ready to go home. She walked down the hall towards Aria's classroom where the petite brunette was on her tippy-toes wiping her blackboard clean. When she walked inside she leaned on the desk in front of Arias. She spotted the book on her best friends desk and smiled as she picked it up. 'Great Expectations'

Aria turned around and placed the blackboard wiper on her desk. "Yeah, I'm doing it with my seniors. They love it"

Emily looked down at the book and smiled, then looked up to Aria. "I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be"

Aria widened her eyes and smiled as Emily recited her favourite paragraph from the book. "Impressive…I didn't know you were a fan of Dickens"

"Yeah" Emily chuckled softly. "it's Ali's favourite book...mine too. We started reading it to the girls. There a little young to understand the meaning behind it but at least it puts them to sleep"

Aria chuckled as she sat on her desk right in front of Emily. "Never too early to read them a good novel"

"A few pages a night. We sit in the nursery and read to them. It's like a concealed version of their Mommies love story"

"Your the Pip to her Estella" Aria smiled.

"Yeah" Emily flicked through the book in her hand as the memory of Alison reading to her in the library of this very school all those years ago came flooding back to her, that was the first time she found the courage to lean forward and kiss those heart shaped lips. Emily shook her head, snapping herself out of her reminiscing when she realised the time. "I should get going" she stood up from the desk and handed Aria the book. "I have to get to practice. I might see you afterwards if your staying late" she called back as she made her way towards the door.

"Actually Em..."

"Oh Yeah" Emily interrupted, turning around just outside the door. "Anything important come up at the faculty meeting"

Aria walked over to the brunette and folded her arms as she leaned against the doorframe. "Yeah actually" she cleared her throat. "They hired a new faculty member."

"Really" Emily smiled. "What department are they in?"

Aria looked over Emily's shoulder and sighed when she saw who was walking towards them "Your about to find out"

Emily furrowed her brows at Aria and turned around to see where the petite brunette was looking.

"Ah, Mrs Dilaurentis-Fields. Just the person I was looking for" Mr Hackett called out.

Emily felt her pulse race and a cold feeling rush through her body when she saw who was with Mr Hackett. The last person she expected to see today was standing right infront of her.

"I'm sure you both know Paige McCullers" The older man beamed.

"We're all old friends" Paige added, giving Aria and Emily her best smile.

"Y..yes" Emily stuttered. "Yes we were"

"So Ms McCullers is our new athletic department supervisor. She's also going to help you around the pool with practice every once in a while. Im sure one great swimmer would appreciate the help of another" He nodded to Emily, then looked back to paige. "Maybe even assistant coach could become a permanent position, I've heard great things from Stanford"

Paige rocked back and forth in her heels and let out a nervous chuckle.

Mr Hackett inhaled deeply through his nose and the huge grin on his face widened. "You know, it's so great to see old students come back and teach. We have Mrs Fitz, Mrs Dilaurentis Fields, Mr Martell and you, Ms McCullers"

"It's great to be back sir" Paige smiled to him.

Emily fiddled with her fingers and looked to Aria, who stood next to her with her arms folded and an expression on her face that Emily couldn't quite read, if she didn't know any better she would have said Aria was constipated.

"So, Mrs Dilaurentis Fields, I was just suggesting Ms McCullers here sits in on practice today. You could introduce her to the students and maybe show her how things are done here in Rosewood from a teacher's perspective."

"Yeah" Emily nodded. "Sure."

"I'm sure you two have a lot of catching up to do" he grinned.

"Yes, we do" Paige added as her and Emily followed Mr Hackett down the hall.

"Now Emily, I was telling Ms McCullers about the new policies and the meets coming up in the next few months but I'm sure you'll do a much better job explaining them than me. Maybe you two could catch a coffee during the week and you could get Ms McCullers up to date on everything"

Aria stood against the doorframe of her classroom and allowed the conversation between Hackett and the girls fade into the distance. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nose. ' _This is not going to go down well with Ali'_ she thought to herself.

* * *

"Hey" Paige knocked lightly on Emily's office door as she entered.

"Oh, Paige" Emily sat up straight on her chair. "Hey"

"Great practice today" she smiled. "Those girls have great potential"

"Yeah...They do"

"Listen" Paige walked further into the room and closed the door behind her. "I was wondering if maybe you want to catch up over a few drinks...my treat"

Emily looked down to the flashing phone on her desk at the text that had just come through.

 **Do you plan on coming home anytime soon! The twins are cranky and this is a two woman job! -Ali**

"Ehm" the brunette cleared her throat. "I can't tonight actually"

"No problem" Paige grinned, scratching the back of her neck. "Maybe another time"

Emily straightened the pile of papers on her desk as she stood up from her chair, making it look like she missed the last past of Paiges sentence.

"Well" paige sighed, clasping both hand together. "I'll see you tomorrow then"

"Yeah" Emily watched as her ex girlfriend as she trailed out through her office door. "Tomorrow"

* * *

"Hey" Emily breathed out as she walked in through the kitchen to Ali and her daughters a little over twenty minutes later.

Ali widened her eyes and put her finger to her lips, gesturing to the curly haired baby asleep in her arms.

"Where's Ellie" Emily mouthed.

Ali nodded to the pantry, swaying Madison from side to side.

"What are you doing" Emily cooed as she walked through the door of the pantry to see Ellie pulling wipes out of a packet one at a time.

"Leave her" Ali sighed, rubbing circles on Maddie's back. "It's the only thing keeping her quiet and I am not up for a repeat of the last hour"

Emily smiled softly to her daughter and stood up, making her way over to the kitchen island and taking a seat while Ali sauntered into the living room with Maddie.

The blonde placed her sleeping daughter in the playpen with her favourite elephant 'Iggy' and her binky close by. She covered her in a soft pink blanket and ran her thumb across the little flushed, tear stained cheek before making her way back into the kitchen to Emily and Ellie.

"How was Maddie today" Emily asked as Ali took a seat on the kitchen island in front of her.

"Ugh" Ali groaned, rubbing her temples with her fingers. "She woke up after you left and didn't stop crying until about twenty minutes ago"

Emily cleared her throat and fiddled with the bib in front of her as silence fell over them. "So you'll never guess who..."

"I'm off tomorrow so I'm going to keep her out of daycare" Ali interrupted with her head slouched in both hands.

"Yeah, That's probably a good idea" Emily said softly, gazing at the candle in the middle of the table and letting her mind drift back to practice today.

XXXXXXXXXX

" _Okay ladies" Emily called out after she blew the whistle around her neck, earning the attention of all the chatting teens."This is Ms McCullers. She's the new athletic department supervisor and will probably sit in on a few practices every now and then"_

" _Hang on" Kyra held her hands up. "You're Paige McCullers, Stanford's head swim coach right?"_

" _Holy shit, she is" Another girl beamed._

" _Caitlyn...Language" Emily called out._

"S _orry Coach" the girl apologised. "You coached Evan Wilkins, didn't you?" she asked Paige._

" _I did" Paige smiled, rocking back and forth on her heels._

" _Evan Wilkins" A girl that was stretching in the corner spoke up. "As in olympic gold medalist Evan Wilkins?"_

" _Yeah" Caitlyn chuckled in disbelief. "He said he owed all his victories to you Ms McCullers"_

 _Emily watched from the sidelines as all the swimmers hung on Paige's every word. A twinge of jealousy washed over her as some of them even asked Paige for pointers and extra help in the pool after practice which she had willingly agreed to. They had even followed Paige's journey in the 'Olympic Swimmers Magazine' which Emily herself couldn't help but read when it was published a few years ago, It talked about Paige's journey to the olympics which was cut short after a car accident which injured her knee, but how she didn't let it get her down and instead put all her aspiration into raising future olympians. Emily held the pen in her hand and pretended to be writing down something on her clipboard as the girls formed a barricade around her ex._

" _Right!" Emily stepped in when she heard one of her students asked Paige why she downgraded to such a shitty job, which Emily herself took personal and got slightly pissed off by. "We can ask Ms McCullers about her life story later"_

XXXXXXXXXX

"Emily" Ali clicked her fingers, breaking the brunette from her thoughts.

"Hmm?" Emily shook her head and darted her eyes up to the blonde.

"I asked you what do you want for dinner? I'm not in the mood to cook and it didn't seem like you were going to volunteer to do it" The blonde stated as she walked over towards the counter and opened one of the cabinets that held the wine glasses.

Emily watched Ellie waddle over to her with her chocolate covered hands held out. "Do you want me to cook something?" She asked Ali as she scooped her daughter up from the floor and rested her on her knees.

"You can't cook Emily" Ali chuckled, emptying the last of the wine from the bottle into her glass.

Emily opened the pack of wipes next to the dirty diaper in the middle of the island and began wiping the chocolate from Ellie's face and hands. "Actually, I can"

"No, you can't" Ali bit back, showing some sarcastic humor in her voice. "At least not without catching the house on fire"

"That was one time" Emily rolled her eyes.

"And the fire department had to be called" Ali chuckled with her wine glass to her lips.

Even though Emily knew very well she could cook and that Ali was most likely just trying to stir up trouble, she didn't want to start an argument over something so stupid and just decided to let it go. "Well then do you want me to order Pizza?" she asked in a calm tone.

"I don't care" Ali sighed. "It's up to you"

"I'll go get it from that Italian place by the boutique. I'll take Ellie with me, get her out of the house for a while"

"Okay" Ali said with the wine glass to her lips, staring absentmindedly out the kitchen window. "Get formula in the store and another bottle of this" she gestured to the wine in front of her. "Your on baby duty for the night, I need a break"


	15. High Hopes

**Heres the next chapter, hope you enjoy. Please leave a review and follow the story if you liked it:)**

* * *

 **Chapter 15: High Hopes.**

"Typical" Ali scoffed at her phone, balancing Maddie on her hip as they walked towards the daycare.

"What?" Hanna questioned, holding Ellie and Evie's hands, two of them squealing excitedly between each other.

Ali shook her head and ran her free hand through her hair. "She hung up on me"

"No wonder" Hanna rolled her eyes. "I would have hung up on you too."

"You're not helping" Ali sneered.

"What even happened anyway?" Hanna questioned.

XXXXXXXXXX

" _Here you go sweet girl" Ali smiled to Maddie as she handed her one of the teething rings out of the freezer. The one year old looked up to her Mom, her face flushed and cheeks stained with tears as she chomped down on the frozen elephant, enjoying the sensation of the cold object against her throbbing gums._

 _Ali walked towards the counter with Madison on her hip and for the first time today there was complete silence throughout the house. Between Madison teething and Ellie's troublemaking, Ali had already had the absolute worst day._

" _This house is a mess" The blonde groaned as she reached across the pile of dirty dishes for two bottles._

 _Emily stood next to Ali and reached up to the cabinet above her wife for a glass. She then trailed over to the kitchen island, popped the top off the bottle of wine and poured herself a large glass. The brunette sat down on the stool, put the wine glass to her lips and scrolled through her phone. She felt eyes on her and sure enough when she looked up, Ali was standing there, that infamous dilaurentis glare plastered across her face._

" _Did you want some?" Emily spoke up after she swallowed the contents of her mouth._

" _No" Ali scoffed. "I want you to get up off your ass and help me. This place is a mess"_

 _Just as Emily was about to respond, Ellie's loud squeals were heard from both women as the naked one year old ran from the dining room through the kitchen. The one year old tripped over the pile of washing on the floor next to the pantry door and Emily tensed her whole body at the loud bang that echoed through the room as Ellies face smacked off the floor._

" _Shit" Emily whispered to herself as she jumped up off the chair and quickly made her way over to her screaming daughter laying face first on the floor. The brunette immediately swooped her up, fear rushing through her body and a sick feeling settling in her stomach at the sight of the blood dripping down Ellies face._

" _Oh My God" Ali exclaimed, quickly sitting Maddie into the highchair and running over to Ellie._

" _Shh baby, it's okay" Emily cooed, pressing some tissue paper against her daughters bleeding lip. "You're okay"_

 _Ali grabbed the screaming one year old from Emily's arms and inspected her lip."See" she snapped, pulling Ellie close to her and swaying her from side to side with a blood stained tissue against her lip. "If you bothered to put the laundry into the machine like I asked you to a while ago this wouldn't have happened"_

" _Well if you weren't pissing me off from the moment I stepped in the door I probably would have done it" Emily bit back. "Don't blame this on me"_

 _Ali scoffed loudly and turned her attention back to her daughter, who seemed to be losing more and more blood by the second. The blonde trailed over towards the sink and sat Ellie on the counter, wiping the blood from her chest and little hands while Emily took out a packet of frozen peas from the freezer and wrapped them in a clean face cloth._

" _Here" Emily rasped, swallowing hard as she watched her daughter clench her fists in distress and scream her heart out. "Put this on her lip"_

 _After about 10 minutes of Ellie screaming in pain, Maddie crying in distress and Emily and Ali disagreeing on how to handle the situation, Ellies lip finally stopped bleeding and her loud screaming reduced to soft whimpering as she sat on the the dining room sofa snuggled into Ali's chest._

 _Emily looked at Maddie, who seemed a little traumatised at the events that just unfolded. The one year olds face was as white as a sheet and her eyes were open wide and glued to the blonde and her sister on the dining room sofa. Emily handed her a bottle just like her sister and after placing a gentle kiss on her little forehead she made her way over to Ellie and Ali._

" _I'm Sorry" Emily sighed, her heart breaking at the sight of Ellie in front of her. Her little face was red raw, her chest and hands were stained with dried blood and little whimpers escaped her mouth as she tries to suck her bottle with her swollen lip. Emily cursed herself for not doing what Ali had asked because if she did, this never would have happened._

" _I should have put away the laundry like you asked me too." She looked at her wife and daughter._

" _Yes, you should have" Ali raised her voice. "Instead of sitting on your ass and waiting for me to do it, just like you do with everything else"_

 _Emily inhaled deeply through her nose and clenched her jaw, slowly counting to ten in her head. She really was trying her hardest here so why couldn't Ali just accept her apology? Why did she have to drag it on? The brunette wiped her hand across her sweaty forehead and swallowed hard. "I had a long day at work...Okay. I just wanted to relax for a while and not have you annoying me to tidy up"_

" _YOU...had a long day" Ali laughed, rocking Ellie back and forth as she fed her the bottle. "You knew how cranky and fussy the girls were today and even though I asked you nicely to come home at the time your meant to come home, you decided to trail in the front door two hours late like usual."_

" _I didn't see your message until I was tidying up to leave" Emily explained as she walked towards the sofa and kneeled down in front of Ali and Ellie. She held her daughters little hand and tried to examine her lip but Ali stood up before she could see the damage and stormed away towards the kitchen._

" _Jesus" Emily exclaimed. "I'm just trying to help"_

" _You want to help, Yeah?" Ali called out, cradling her daughter in her arms. "Why don't you make yourself useful for once and actually help me around here so we can prevent shit like this happening"_

" _For once" Emily laughed. "Oh please...Stop kidding yourself. I do more than my fair share around this house. I help with the kids, I cook, I clean and yeah, maybe sometimes I sit on my ass after work and relax but that doesn't give you the right to lash out at me every time. I'm sick of it Alison, you treat me like shit all of the time and i've only tolerated it because I know how hard the twins have been lately. I know your stressed, and tired and drained of energy but i've had enough okay. ENOUGH." Emily exhaled deeply and looked at Ali's shocked face. The blonde definitely wasn't expecting that. Feeling overwhelmed by the whole situation Emily figured it was best for her to get out of Ali's sight before things went any further. The brunette shook her head and huffed loudly as she made her way over to Madison, who had jumped in fear at her mother's frustrated tone and started crying immediately afterwards. Emily picked her daughter up out of the high chair and stormed straight out of the kitchen, throwing daggers at Ali as she did so._

XXXXXXXXXX

"Have you guys thought of maybe…" Hanna trailed off, realising what she was about to ask Ali was probably not the best idea.

"Have we what?" Ali questioned.

"Nothing" Hanna sighed. "Look, Maybe she just had a bad day" she told Ali, although she herself knew that this was much more than a bad day, it had been going on for weeks.

"Who's side are you on Hanna? Mine or Emily's?" Ali furrowed her brows.

"Or maybe it's you thats having the bad days" Hanna widened her eyes at Ali's harsh tone. "Look" she raised her hands in defeat at Ali's loud scoff. "Just give her some space okay. She needs time to calm down"

"No" Ali shook her head furiously. "She doesn't get to play the victim here"

"What are you doing?" Hanna asked, gesturing to the phone in Ali's hand.

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm texting her"

"Your just going to make it worse Alison" Hanna warned as they approached the door of the daycare.

"Too late" Ali sighed after pressing send, making it her second angry text to Emily so far this morning and it wasn't even 10am. Hanna rolled her eyes as Ali stuck her phone into her pocket and the two of them made their way through the door of the daycare with three squealing babies.

* * *

A little after 10am Emily furiously pushed through the door of the teachers lounge, her coffee in one hand and her phone in the other. She was reading the two angry texts Ali had sent her and was just responding with one of her own when she walked straight into one of her colleagues, knocking their coffee and her own on the floor.

"Oh my god" she stammered, immediately grabbing tissues from the counter and wiping up the dark liquid. "I'm so sorry"

"Don't worry about it" the other woman said as she kneeled down in front of the chemistry teacher.

"Paige!" Emily breathed out when she was eye level with the red head. "I...I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going"

"It's fine" Paige shook her head and smiled as she helped clean up the coffee from the floor.

"T...Today is...It's just not my day" Emily chuckled, her voice shaking as she rapidly scattered across the floor to wipe up the quickly spreading liquid.

"Em" Paige swerved her head to try and make eye contact with the brunette. "Calm down...It's just a little coffee okay"

"But it's a mess" Emily raised her voice. "Why is everything such a mess?"

"Emily" Paige placed her hand on Emily's shoulder and with her thumb, tilted her tanned face towards her own so brown eyes were meeting brown. "It's okay"

Emily stopped what she was doing and fell limp at the feeling of Paige's thumb against her cheek. The softness of Paige's voice and the concern in those brown orbs made Emily feel, for the first time in a while, like someone actually cared. They stayed in that position for a moment longer and Emily felt her pulse race when Paige's face very slowly inched closer to hers.

Emily jumped up when she heard the teachers lounge door swing open and cleared her throat when she saw Aria staring at them, her mouth wide open as if she was trying to form a sentence. The petite brunette looked at Emily blankly, then to Paige who was very slowly standing up from the floor, knowing very well she had just almost overstepped a massive boundary. Aria looked at Emily for what felt like an eternity before darting her hazel eyes towards the coffee cart in the corner of the room. Without saying a word, the English teacher walked over, quickly poured herself a cup of coffee and added two packets of sugar. Paige looked at Emily, while Emily looked at Aria and the uncomfortable silence that washed over them was torture. Emily swallowed hard, her heart pounding in her chest and a cold feeling rushing through her veins as Aria walked straight out of the teachers lounge like nothing had happened. When the door slammed closed Emily turned towards the window, one hand grazing across the beads of sweat forming on her forehead and the other clutching the the counter in front of her. She heard the teachers lounge door open and close again and quickly turned around, but the only thing she was met with was the large pool of coffee on the floor beneath her. Feeling light headed and nauseous the brunette leaned on the nearest table with both hands and exhaled the breath she didn't know she was holding.

She had just almost kissed her ex girlfriend and didn't want to think how far it would have gone if Aria didn't walk in. _Oh god_ , she thought to herself, Aria had just witnessed her and Paige almost kiss. She had a lot of explaining to do to the petite brunette.

Emily dropped her head back and clasped both hands together over her face. There was no way she could keep this from Ali any longer, she had to tell her Paige was working with her. The longer she waited the worse Ali was going to take it, and the fact that she had already waited over a week and a half assured her that she wasn't going to get out of it easily.

* * *

"Ali, do you know where Lisa put the August receipts?" Hanna asked as she walked in through the changing room to Ali.

Ali broke her gaze on the screen of her phone and darted her blue eyes up to Hanna. "Hmm?"

Hanna looked at Ali sitting on the sofa, realising she had been staring at the screensaver of her and Emily on top of the Eiffel tower on one of the best weeks of their lives, the week they got engaged. She took a deep breath, figuring now was the best time to talk to Ali about the thing she had been trying to talk to her about the past week. "Okay" Hanna started in a loud, exasperated sigh. "I don't know how your going to react to me saying what I have to say...but I'm just going to say it anyway"

A confused expression appeared on Ali's face and she slowly placed her phone on the chair next to her. "Okay?"

"Alright" Hanna walked towards Ali. "Okay" she sang as she took a seat next to the blonde, mentally preparing herself for the conversation she had been planning all week. "So...For the past week I've been trying to figure out how I should ask you...If I should even ask you this because you know, it's really none of my business and I don't want you to..."

"Hanna" Ali called out. "Spit it out"

"Have you and Emily considered talking to someone?" Hanna blurted out, inching herself away from Ali because she really didn't know how her friend was going to react to her question.

Ali widened her eyes and scrunched her face. "As in a shrink!"

"Y..Yeah" Hanna breathed, biting down on her bottom lip and clasping her hands together nervously.

Ali stared at the floor below her, processing what Hanna had said. She opened her mouth to speak but was cut her off almost instantly.

"Look, before you say anything just hear me out" Hanna started. "It no secret that you and Emily are having problems lately, and I know from talking to you both that there getting worse...not better." The blonde exhaled a deep breath, slightly relieved that Ali's expression was calm and that she really seemed to be taking it all in. "I think it would help to have someone to talk to. It helped Aria and Ezra through their rough patch a few years ago and I think you two should at least give it a try."

"Aria and Ezra had a valid reason for seeing a shrink Hanna, they were having trouble getting pregnant and it messed with their relationship. It's different with me and Emily, we've just made arguing into a hobby."

"It's not different Ali" Hanna said and the expression on Ali's face showed her that she wasn't really selling the idea of them seeing a shrink. "Look, Just remember me and you were having the same conversation on this sofa three years ago. You and Emily were in such a bad place, arguing all the time just like you are now and it took you almost getting killed for you two to sort out yere problems."

Ali ran her hands through her hair, the memory of the crash a few years ago sending chills down her spine.

"I hate seeing you two like this" Hanna continued, placing a reassuring squeeze on Alis shoulder. "I know marraige can be hard sometimes and everyone argues, everyone has disagreements but you and Emily need to do something before it gets worse. Since the end of summer you two have been exactly like you were three years ago."

"You're right" Ali sighed. "It's exactly like it was three years ago. We argue about the stupidest things, we disagree on everything and it's taking a huge toll on our relationship. It's just gotten worse the past two weeks with the twins acting out, probably because they can sense something is wrong. I've just been tired and stressed and cranky and the slightest thing are setting me off"

Hanna nodded as the blonde spoke, internally celebrating that she was opening up to her.

Ali looked up to the ceiling, trying to prevent tears spilling from her eyes. "Emily's not the same... she's not happy anymore and it's all because of me, all because I can't keep my mouth shut"

"No, Ali...don't blame yourself okay, blaming yourself isn't going to help the situation, it's just going to make you feel worse" Hanna took both Ali's hands in her own. "You and Emily have been through so much together, you two are the definition of love. Ye both dived out of that rough patch three years ago and you were the happiest I had seen you in such a long time...and this is all this is, it's a rough patch"

Ali sniffled and tried to contain her emotions as Hanna spoke. She hoped her and Emily could get through this because it really was breaking them both. All she wanted in this moment was to go back to the holiday in Malibu at the start of summer, the time when they were both so happy and carefree, the time before things got hard.

"What you need to do is take baby steps okay." Hanna continued. "You both need to sit down and have an open conversation...no arguing, no snapping at each other, just get all your problems out on the table and figure out a way to fix them and if that doesn't work...your going to have to talk to someone...together."

Ali nodded her head as Hanna spoke, a silent tear running down her cheek. "We need to fix this" she started, her voice shaking as she tried to control her emotions. "We have kids now and it's not good for them to see their Mommies arguing all the time." Ali looked down at her intertwining fingers and knew that her and Emily had to sort this out, they HAD to. She grinned up to Hanna and her watery eyes brightened. "You know" she choked on the sob caught in her throat. "You would make a really good shrink"

Hanna chuckled to herself and pulled Ali in for a hug.

"Hang on" Ali pulled herself away from the hug and held Hanna at arm's length, eyeing her suspiciously. "I'm having serious flashbacks to the time you and I were having a heart to heart on this chair before the accident three years ago...Your not pregnant are you?"

Hanna dropped her head forward and laughed, tears spilling from her eyes. "Yeah" she beamed. "I am"

"Oh My God" Ali cheered with her hands to her mouth as the tears of sadness she had been trying to prevent came rushing out of her eyes as tears of joy. "I'm so happy for you...How far along?" she asked, her face beaming in excitement as she placed her hand on the blondes non-existant bump.

"About seven weeks" Hanna chuckled. "I haven't told anyone yet, we just found out last week"

"Han...Congratulations" Ali sniffled, pulling her bestfriend and business partner in for a bear hug.

"Morning Ladies" Aria called out as she walked in through the changing room to Ali and Hanna, breaking them from their moment. "Sorry for interrupting...whatevers going on here but I brought you some lunch."

Ali and Hanna laughed and shared a knowing look as Aria made her way towards them, her hands filled with bagels and coffee.

"Woah..." the petite brunette scrunched her face and stood up straight. "I just got some serious Deja vu"

* * *

Ali walked into the darkness of her home a little after seven, the sweet aroma of herbs and white sauce hitting her face. A little confused by the lack of noise that she had expected from the twins, she walked in through the glowing dining room that had been lit up by a swarm or fairy lights and candles. The pile of washing near the door was no longer there, the heap of dirty dishes had been replaced with a bouquet of roses and the baby toys and clothes that were scattered around the place were gone. She was just in time to see Emily walk over from the kitchen to the dining room table with two plates of Tagliatelle Carbonara, one of Ali's favourite dishes.

Emily had finished work at four earlier that day and collected the twins from daycare. She called her Mom at lunch and asked her to watch them for the night and Pam was more than willing to spend some quality time with her granddaughters. The brunette then made her way home and although it wasn't easy trying to pack the overnight bags for her daughters while they cried for attention and waddled around furiously, she managed to get it done. After double checking that she had packed Iggy and Ellie's favourite 'blankie', Emily strapped the twins into their car seats and made her way over to her Moms.

The brunette had spend her lunchtime planning the perfect night for her and Ali. She hoped a nice dinner would cushion the fall for the bomb she was going to drop about Paige working with her but that wasn't the only reason she was doing it. She had done a lot of thinking over the past few days and knew that her and Ali really needed to sort things out between them, especially with what almost happened in the teachers lounge today. Her and Ali needed to lay all their problems out on the table and work through them. They needed to actually talk to each other, have a proper conversation that didn't lead to another argument. She hated the tension between them lately and hoped Ali felt the same way and would hear her out.

After stopping at the grocery store for some wine, a bunch of roses, popcorn and all the ingredients she needed for the Tagliatelle Carbonara recipe she had found on Pinterest, Emily made her way home and began preparing the dinner she was now setting out on the table.

"Is this for me?" Ali questioned, placing her handbag and keys on the table in front of the dining room sofa.

"No, it's for Jenny down the street" Emily joked, a bright smile taking over her face. "Of course it's for you!"

"Ellie and Madison are spending the night with their Grandma" Emily explained as she poured wine into the two glasses set out on the table. "I gave them a kiss from both of us and promised we would FaceTime before bed so we can say goodnight." The brunette finished as she pulled out a chair for Ali and gestured for her to sit.

Ali trailed over towards Emily and sat down, she looked at the spread in front of her, then to Emily as she took a seat across from her and immediately dug into her food.

Emily kept trying to figure out how she was going to tell Ali about Paige but didn't know hot to approach the subject. She had no idea how Ali was going to react. One night at the start of their relationship, her and Ali took a walk out to the kissing rock and vowed to each other that there would be no secrets between them...ever, and it was that night that had been replaying in Emily's head all day because this was a secret, and it had been made bigger and bigger the longer Emily kept it. The brunette contemplated just blurting it out and hoping for the best but her brain physically wouldn't allow her speak Paige's name. She didn't understand why she was so nervous about it, after all it wasn't her fault Paige had showed up at RHS. She tried to calm her racing mind and prevent it from flashing back to the teachers lounge today. It was Paige that made a move on her, not the other way around. She would have pulled away sooner if she wasn't in so much shock from the whole thing...right?

Emily watched Ali play with her food and stare absentmindedly at the plate in front of her. "Is the food okay" She asked the blonde.

"Hmm?" Ali looked up, her blue orbs sparkling in the candlelight.

Emily took a sip of the wine in the glass in front of her. "I asked is the food okay?"

"Oh" Ali cleared her throat. "Yeah, it's fine"

Emily nodded and twirled her fork in the tagliatelle in front of her, piercing a piece of brocolli and bringing it to her mouth as an unconfortable silence washed over them.

"You know…" Emily trailed off with soft chuckle. "Sally told me Ellie was showing everyone her lip today in daycare...her little battle wound"

Ali didn't react to the story Emily told. She didn't smile, she didn't laugh, she didn't do anything. She just continued to stare absentmindedly at the plate of food infront of her.

"Alison" Emily sighed. "Come on I'm really trying here, you could at least meet me halfway"

Ali put the wine glass to her lips as Emily looked at her, patiently waiting for her to speak.

The brunette shook her head and sighed, watching as Ali continued to stare at her and take small sips from the glass pressed against her lips. "We can't keep this up forever Ali...You've barely said two words to me all night"

"That's not true" Ali muttered.

"Well, either you're entering a vegetative state or you're still pissed at me from last night"

Alison put the glass onto the table and ran her hand through her hair.

"Look" Emily reached her hand out for Ali's "I'm sorry for snapping at you last night, I had a long day and…"

"Were you ever going to tell me?" Ali blurted out, pulling her hand from Emilys gentle grip.


	16. Blast from the Past

**Thanks to everyone who left reviews on the last chapter, they really motivated me to get this chapter edited and uploaded as fast as I could.**

 **Again, please leave me reviews and let me know what you think. Your feedback is really appreciated.**

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter:)**

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Blast from the Past.**

The brunette should have known this was where she would end up...drinking her problems away in the small bar near the boutique, her go to place three years ago when her and Ali had that rough patch. Why not wash away the layers of guilt with a few margaritas. After all, it's not like she had anywhere better to be right now.

The bar wasn't as busy as Emily expected to be on a Friday night, but she didn't mind. She just needed some peace and quiet to figure out what she was going to do tonight. She needed give Ali some time to calm down and she needed to take the edge off while she waited for that to happen.

She pressed the home button on her phone, just to see if maybe Alison had called her but all she saw when the screen lit up was the screensaver of her and the blonde on top of the Eiffel Tower. She sighed loudly as she turned her phone around, continuing to stir her margarita with the black straw. She held her gaze on the ice swishing around in the almost empty glass and thought back to the events of an evening she wished could have ended differently.

XXXXXXXXXX

" _Were you ever going to tell me" Ali blurted out, pulling her hand from Emily's gently grip._

" _W...What?"_

" _You know, I had the funniest conversation with Aria today" Ali scoffed, shaking her head with a forced smile. "She wanted to know how I felt about my wife working with her ex-girlfriend, which I was quite confused by because you would have told me something like that...Wouldn't you?"_

 _Emily's pulse became rapid and her chest felt tight. This was not how this was supposed to go. SHE was supposed to be the one to tell her wife about Paige working with her, not Aria. And the fact that she now knew Ali had been talking to Aria today made a sick feeling settle in the pit of her stomach. She had tried to explain herself to Aria at lunch but the petite brunette was nowhere to be found and when Emily went to her classroom to see her before she left to collect the twins at four Aria was already gone home._

 _Panic took over the brunettes body and the only question swirling around in her head was if Aria had told Alison about the incident in the teacher's lounge as well._

 _Emily's mind was racing so fast she forgot Alison was still sitting there in front of her waiting for an explanation. It was when she heard the loud voice shout at her that she jumped out of her thoughts and back to reality._

" _Why didn't you tell me Emily" Ali yelled._

" _Oh..Okay Alison before you freak out, just...just listen to what I have to say..."_

" _Ohh, I can't wait to hear this" Ali sneered, crumpling up her napkin and tossing it into her full plate of food as she slouched back into her chair with folded arms._

" _I was going to tell you, there just...there wasn't a right time"_

 _Ali dropped her head and chuckled softly to herself while her wife spoke. "So You're telling me that in the past two weeks you couldn't find the right time to tell me"_

" _Ali...I..."_

 _The fake smile on Alis face immediately dissappeared as she lounged forward and smacked both hands on the table, so hard the plates rattled and the wine swished in the glasses. "Is that why you've been working late, Huh? Is that you've been so distant? Is there something going on between you two?"_

" _No!" Emily exclaimed, still unsure if this was a test of honesty or not. Alison was full of surprises and she half expected that the blonde already knew about what almost happened in the teachers lounge today._

" _Well then why the hell didn't you tell Me that your now working with Paige McCullers"_

 _Emily opened her mouth to speak but no words were coming out. She had prepared for this conversation with Ali so many times today in so many different ways and in her mind she knew what she wanted to say...she just couldn't say it._

" _Answer me" Ali snapped._

" _St...stop shouting" Emily pleaded_

" _I'm not shouting" the blonde yelled_

" _I didn't tell you because I was afraid this would be the reaction I would get...You shouting at me and on the brink of starting yet another argument. I was waiting for the right time Ali, but it seemed impossible to get you in a good mood lately" Emily spoke out._

 _Alison closed her eyes and clenched the bridge of her nose with both fingers, shaking her head as she listened to Emily finally find the words she was looking for._

" _I'll admit, It was stupid of me to not tell you...I...I should have told you straight away and believe me I tried, but it's just been so hard to talk to you and..."_

" _So this is my fault" Ali shot her head up, her arms immediately folding in front of her chest._

" _Will you let me speak" Emily shouted, becoming pissed off that Ali kept cutting her off and wasn't giving her the chance to explain herself. "If I could go back and tell you the day I found out I would, but I can't. I shouldn't have kept it from you for so long and that I will take the blame for but I know a lot of your anger is at the fact that Paige is here, and that's not my fault. it's not my fault she moved here and it's definitely not my fault she teaches with me."_

" _WHEN...did you plan on actually telling me" Ali asked._

" _Tonight" Emily blurted out, taking a deep breath before she continued "I was going to tell you tonight"_

" _Oh, so the dinner, the flowers, the candles...that was all meaningless, it wasn't a kind gesture it was to cover your ass, make yourself look like an angel so I wouldn't freak out"_

" _No...Ali, this was all because I love you...I love you and I figured it would be a great way to get you in a good mood so we could talk. Talk about fixing our relationship, about getting past all this shit and yeah...about Paige."_

 _Ali clenched her jaw and ran her hand along her forehead, forcefully inhaling a deep breath through her nose._

 _"I don't know why your getting so pissed off" Emily exclaimed._

" _Oh...you don't know why I'm getting so pissed off" Ali scoffed. "I'm pissed because I had to find out from Aria that Paige has been working with you, in your department, and has been IN YOUR FUCKING OFFICE THE PAST TWO WEEKS!"_

" _It wasn't Arias place to tell you that" Emily shouted, her tone now matching Ali's._

" _She thought I knew, Emily. She thought we were the kind of people that tell eachother things"_

" _Why are you making such a big deal out of this Alison...I've already apoligised for not telling you sooner so can we just drop it" Emily shook her head, holding both hands out infront of her._

" _Emily...Paige McCullers moved halfway across the country for a job that pays half as much as the one she had, don't tell me she isn't here for more than a change of scenery"_

" _Well whatever she's here for…" Emily smacked her hands off the table to get her point across. "it's NOT me"_

" _So you're telling me there's absolutely nothing going on between you and Paige" Ali asked, her voice a lot calmer compared to two seconds ago. She just needed Emily to answer the one question that had been haunting her since lunch. There was no way she was letting her wife get out of this easily but Emily answering her question may calm her down just a little bit._

 _Emily's mind raced back to the teachers lounge and without knowing, she found herself getting jumbled with her words, stuttering as she spoke and unable to answer Ali's question._

" _Emily" Ali breathed out, her heart dropping at thought of her wife having feelings for another woman._

" _Ali..I..."_

" _Oh my god" Ali panted, standing up and kicking her chair back against the wall, her hands covering her mouth in shock. "There's something going on between you two!"_

" _Alison...please."_

" _FUCK" Ali yelled, pacing back and forward and interrupting Emily once again. "Your having an affair aren't you?"_

" _Ali" Emily shouted as she stood up and walked towards the blonde. "There's nothing going on between me and Paige." Emily kept her face serious but she knew her shaky voice sounded less than convincing. And she didn't know why. It's not like she actually kissed Paige...she almost did. There was a big difference between the two._

 _Ali shook her head and narrowed her eyes. "I know when your lying...What happened? Did you kiss her?" Emily's face dropped at Ali's words and Ali clenched her fists together as she continued "Did you fuck her in the pool? Screw her in the janitors closet?...You know that would make a lot of sense actually. It would explain why you're working late every night, why you've been so distant lately and it would explain why I can't remember the last time you touched me."_

" _Alison" the brunette yelled. "I would never sleep with someone other than you, I'm not an adulterous whore okay. The fact that you think that less of me is disgusting so shut up and stop talking like that"_

 _Ali glared at the brunette before storming away but Emily caught her shoulder and pulled her back._

" _Leave go of me" the blonde hissed, so much anger in her voice that Emily stepped back in fear._

 _Ali even startled herself with the fierceness of her tone and widened her eyes at her wife. "I need to leave"_

" _You what?" Emily exclaimed, following her wife into the living room._

" _I said I need to leave" Ali snapped. "There's no way I'm staying here"_

" _No Alison. Your not leaving. Not until we sort this out"_

" _Emily" Ali spoke up. "I can't speak to you right now, if I do I'll say something I'll regret"_

" _Ali" the brunette sighed._ " _We'll never get past this if we keep running away from it"_

 _Ali just shook her head and started to walk to the front door but Emily reached for her hand to stop her._

" _Don't touch me" the blonde growled._

" _I'm not letting you leave" Emily stepped back._

 _Ali stood still, her chin resting against her chest as a silent tear ran down her cheek. "Well if your not going to let me leave, then you need to"_

" _What?"_

" _Seriously, If your not going to let me leave then you need to get out because there's no way I can be in the same place as you right now"_

 _Emily scoffed loudly and folded her arms, watching as Ali did everything in her power to avoid making eye contact._

" _Really" Emily snapped. "You can't even look at me now"_

 _Ali squeezed her eyes closed and hot tears spilled down her face. "Please...just get out"_

 _Emily felt the the lump in her throat becoming impossible to swallow. She had so much anger left in her and so much more explaining to do but this had already gone far enough. She listened to Ali sniffle and watched her stand there with her head in her hand. It broke her heart to see her wife like that and knew that both of them being here together right now would do more harm than good. She allowed a moment of silence to pass before racing towards the front door, down the patio steps and out past the Hastings house with no real destination in mind._

 _Emily walked around Rosewood for ages lost in her thoughts. This is not how she thought the night would end...but then again she didn't expect Ali to find out about Paige working with her before she could tell her herself. She knew that's what made Ali so angry...the fact that she had to find out from somebody else. If the roles were reversed she would have been just as pissed and probably would have reacted the same way._

 _If only she had the common sense to tell Ali the day Paige got hired. I mean she should have known this was going to happen, especially with her experience with secrets. The worst thing was Ali still didn't know the whole story, she may have had her suspicions but she didn't know. She didn't know about the teachers lounge today and although she was really pissed at Aria for getting to Ali before she could, she was relieved that the petite brunette knew better than to mention that. But Ali not knowing about that made it a secret and the more Emily thought about it the more she wished she had just told Ali there and then, it may not have gone down too well with her wife but atleast it would have been out in the open, atleast she wouldn't have to worry about Ali finding out from someone else and she wouldn't have to worry about another argument involving Paige._

 _Emily knew there was no way she could face Ali again tonight, not with the fight they just had and the weight of yet another secret on her shoulders. Secrets never were a good mix with Emily and Alison. After all, they always come back to bite you in the ass...and the brunette had a feeling this one would sometime in the near future...the very near future._

XXXXXXXXXX

Emily broke from her thoughts when she felt a warm body occupy the seat next to her, a little too close for comfort. She finally pulled her eyes from the margarita in front of her and looked up to be met with a pair of lust-filled green eyes gazing at her. The older brunette man clenched his chiseled jaw and curved his lips into a flirtatious grin but Emily just rolled her eyes and sighed. She was not in the mood for company right now.

"Double scotch on the rocks please" He called out to the bartender approaching him without taking his eyes off Emily. "And another for the lady here"

"I'm fine" Emily sighed, swigging back the last of the alcohol in her glass.

He nodded to the empty glass in Emily's hand and stared at her willingly.

"I guess I could use another" The swim coach spoke up. Who was she to turn down free alcohol, especially on a night like tonight.

"So what's a pretty lady like yourself doing all alone on a Friday night" the man asked after the bartender sat both drinks in front of them.

"Trying to be alone" Emily groaned, quickly picking up her new margarita and taking a generous sip.

The older man grinned at her, his piercing green eyes trailing across her body. Emily noticed his gawking and forced herself not to meet his gaze but she could see what he was doing from the corner of her eye. He ran his hand across his clean shaved beard and picked up his scotch with the other, slowly pressing it against his lips and taking a sip. His adams apple bobbed as he swallowed the liquid and he bit his bottom lips seductively before extending his hand to Emily.

"I'm Christian"

Emily looked to him, then to his hand, then to her drink. "I'm not interested"

Christian pulled his hand away and chuckled softly to himself when he looked at the ring on Emily's finger. "Trouble in paradise...huh?"

"Excuse me?" Emily furrowed her brows.

"Only explanation, isn't it. Why else would a smoking hot gal like yourself be all alone in a place like this"

Emily scoffed to herself and shook her head. She was not in the mood to be hit on right now, or even for friendly conversation. She just wanted to be left alone with her thoughts and her margarita.

Christian held his glass in his hand and ran his finger across his bottom lip, clenching his jaw as a strand of brunette hair fell down over his eyes. "You know" He moved closer to her. "I can show you a good time if you...maybe wanna to take your mind off things"

"Seriously" Emily hissed. "Take it somewhere else, I'm not in the mood"

"Your man would never have to know" Christian smirked.

"Fuck off" Emily raised her voice.

"I don't like to brag but I'm great in bed" He whispered seductively, clutching Emily's thigh with his hand and leaning close to her so he was now inches away from her face. She could smell the alcohol off his breath and feel his body heat against her own and that made shivers run down her spine.

"Hands off" a voice next to Emily spat out venomously.

The tanned man tilted his head and glared at the person in front of him "And you are?"

"Her wife" the woman hissed, walking overand taking Emilys hand in her own. "So get the fuck off her and get lost"

Christian widened his eyes and cleared his throat. "Well then" he breathed out, picking up his scotch and fixing his suit pants as he stood up from his chair. "I'm just gonna…" he pointed to the other side of the bar and paced over.

"What are you doing?" Emily pulled her hand away and rolled her eyes at the one person she really wasn't in the mood to be near right now.

"Figured you needed some help getting that horny fuck off you. I hate men like that, they think their gods gift to women" the red haired woman widened her eyes as she took Christians seat next to Emily.

"No Paige" Emily raised her voice, realising she could put a double meaning onto this question. "What the hell are you doing back here...in Rosewood"

Paige sighed loudly and gestured to the bartender for another drink. "I'm not in the mood to talk about that right now"

"Come On. The least you owe me is an explanation. You show back up in my life out of nowhere and then almost kissed me today so your not…"

"Fine" Paige shouted, a little surprised at the tone in her voice she looked around to see if anyone besides Emily noticed. "I needed a change."

"That's all I get" Emily glared at her ex.

Paige watched the cold expression take over the brunettes face and realised there was no way her ex was going to let her leave here without an explanation. She took a sip of the drink infront of her and swallowed hard before speaking. "My fiancé broke off our engagement and ran off with her tennis partner okay"

Emily's eyes widened and she looked at Paige. "She What?"

"Yeah" Paige sighed. "We were engaged the past three years and she always found a reason to postpone the wedding, I figured it was just pre wedding jitters but turns out she was seeing someone else while she was engaged to me"

"Wow" Emily cleared her throat. "That's rough."

"Tell me about it" Paige rolled her eyes. She paused for a minute and let her mind wonder, allowing awkward silence fall between her and Emily as she prepared herself to say what she was about to say. "We were supposed to be getting married today. We should be dancing as a newly married couple on a beautiful beach in Spain but instead...I'm sitting here with my heart shattered into a million pieces, drowning out my sorrows with jack daniels"

Emily looked at Paige. She could see her ex's eyes were filled with unshed tears and really didn't know what to say. She didn't want to be talking to Paige right now but also didn't want to ignore her, especially not with what she just told her. Her ex really was making this hard for her by throwing her the guilt card.

Emily opened her mouth to break the silence but before she could say anything she was relieved to be cut off by Paige.

"Everyone back home knows about it. I just couldn't be there anymore, not with the looks of pity from everyone and the fact that Torrey and Anna both work with me at Stanford"

"Who's Anna" Emily asked.

"The tennis partner Emily" Paige snapped. "Keep up"

The red haired woman immediately felt sorry for her harsh tone and continued in a softer voice. "Anyway, I saw the opening for athletic department supervisor at RHS and just jumped at it."

Emily stared down at her margarita for a few seconds before speaking. "Did you know I work there" she asked, hoping the answer would be no and praying the only reason Paige came back here was for the job and the job only.

Paige swigged back her jack daniels and the bartender had another in front of her straight away. "Yeah" she sighed. "You told me"

"I told you" Emily furrowed her brows.

"You told me a lot of things" Paige chuckled sarcastically.

"Hang on" Emily turned around and rested her hand on the back of the barstool. "When was I even talking to you?"

"When we bumped into each other at this bar a few years ago, You were actually sitting at that exact seat" Paige said.

Emily tilted her head and looked at her ex blankly, wondering what the hell she was talking about. The last time she saw Paige was over ten years ago in California, definitally not some bar in Rosewood.

A questioning expression took over Paige's face "You don't remember?"

The red haired woman put her new glass of Jack Daniels to her lips and laughed at how confused Emily looked. "I suppose it's no wonder...You were such a mess. Torrey and I had to bring your drunk ass home"

Then it clicked for Emily. She remembered that morning she woke up and had no idea what had happened the night before or how she got home. Well there had been a lot of mornings in the past where that had happened to her but on this particular morning Ali told her that she had been brought to the door by Paige. Emily figured it was best not to ask too many questions and just be grateful that Ali wasn't pissed at her for drunkenly stumbling in the door with her ex girlfriend.

"It was a great catch up" Paige smirked. "Even if you can't remember it"

Emily knew she shouldn't be talking to Paige right now but she needed to know more about that night, what she done, what she said, how Ali reacted when she saw them...everything. She looked up to her ex with a hint of a smile across her face, willing the red haired woman to fill her in that lost time, even though she already guessed it was going to be really embarrassing, especially with the stupid things she tends to do when she's drunk.

XXXXXXXXXX

" _Okay...Careful of the step there" Paige said, her and Torrey both holding a highly intoxicated Emily over their shoulders as they helped her to the car._

" _I could just like...hitchhike home" Emily hiccupped. "I dont...I dont wanna be a bother"_

" _Emily, Your not a bother" Paige smiled, holding the swaying brunette upright while Torrey opened the door of the car and cleared the gear bags and clothes from the backseat. "Besides..there's no way I'm letting you hitchhike home with some creepy stranger."_

" _Aww Paige" Emily gushed as she crawled into the back seat of the white range rover. "You still care about me"_

 _Paige felt her cheeks redden and she chuckled softly as she followed Emily into the backseat of the car._

" _Why did I wear these stupid shoes" Emily groaned, pulling off her heels and tossing them on the floor as she sat down on the white seat._

" _Woah" The brunette scanned her eyes around the cars beautiful interior. "Stanford must pay really well to say your able to afford a car like this."_

 _Paige laughed softly as she fastened hers and Emily's seatbelt. "How do you know I work at Stanford?"_

 _Emily sniggered and rolled her eyes dramatically. "I read it in the Olympic Swimmers Magazine a few years ago. I subscribe to it and get sent the monthly editions and when I saw your Collum I just...I couldn't resist" Emily admitted with a hiccup as the car started moving._

" _I'm sure you've copped yourself a great job Em" Paige smiled._

" _You could say that" Emily slurred. "Head swim coach at RHS but you know, not the big leagues like you"_

 _Paige's Fiance looked in the overhead mirror as Emily let out a loud groan and dropped her head on Paige's shoulder. Torrey reached her hand forward and turned the music in the car up which led Emily to jerk her head up at the loud beat that echoed around the car._

" _This is my song" Emily cheered, waving her hands around aggressively in the backseat as the lyrics from the song 'intoxicated' by Martin Solveig, GTA, filled their ears._

" _Where am I dropping you" Torrey spoke up, finally managing to get Emily's attention when she turned the song off._

 _Emily slouched back in her chair and sighed as she ran both hands through her hair. "My house"_

" _Where's Your house Em?" Paige chuckled._

" _Oh Yeah, Sorry" Emily giggled. "29 Bridgewater terrace"_

" _That's Alison's old house?" Paige questioned._

" _Yeah...Our house now" Emily quirked her eyebrows. "Her...her dad left her the house when he left them so I moved in when I went back to Rosewood after college...I suppose it was a nice going away present from him to Ali...wasn't it" Emily laughed to herself._

 _Paige looked at Emily and nodded._

" _Oh god" Emily groaned to herself with her hand to her mouth. She waved her hand frantically gesturing for someone to open the window but swallowed hard and closed her eyes as they did._

 _"False alarm"_ _The brunette held her hands above her head and breathed in deeply._

" _You okay?" Paige asked, tilting her head in front of Emily._

" _It's nice how much you care about me Paige. Especially with what I did to you" Emily sighed to her ex, rubbing her hands over her forehead._

 _Paige cleared her throat and looked away from the brunette and a few minutes of silence fell over them as they got closer and closer to their destination._

 _Emily rested her face against the cold glass window and stared outside, taking particular notice of a lot of trees she'd never seen before and making a few stupid comments that even earned a hint of a chuckle from Torrey._

 _Suddenly, for no obvious reason Emily broke into a fit of strenuous laughter and Paige couldn't help but laugh along, both at the weird face her humorless fiancé was making and at Emily's contagious laughter._

" _What are you laughing at?" Paige stifled a giggle._

" _Oh just My life" Emily sniggered, getting a little too close to Paige for Torreys comfort. "My relationship has hit an all time low, I'm so drunk all I can think about is chicken curry and I'm sitting in the back of my ex girlfriend's car about to pull up to the house of my pissed off wife."_

 _"Stop Em, I'm sure you have a great life" Paige smiled before staring absentmindedly into the distance._

" _We're here" Torrey spoke out once they finally reached their destination, snapping Paige and Emily from whatever they were laughing at now._

" _No" Emily moaned with a giggle. "Can we like..." the brunette was cut off by a loud hiccup, almost loud enough to be a burp. "I don't know drive around town for a while. Get burritos or something. I don't think I can go in there"_

" _Emily" Paige smiled. "It's better to get it over with when you're this dunk, at least you won't remember it in the morning."_

" _Excuse me" Emily looked at Paige with a hurt expression on her face. "I'm not that drunk"_

 _Paige widened her eyes at the brunettes change in mood and she opened her mouth to speak but Emily quickly cut her off._

" _Shit" the brunette yelled, scanning her eyes around the seat of the car and floor beneath her. "Guys, I lost my wallet."_

" _Em" Paige called out, failing to earn the brunettes attention. "Emily it's in your hand" the red haired woman spoke up in a louder voice._

" _Oh" Emily sighed, looking questionably down at the black Calvin Klein purse. She could have sworn it wasn't there a few minutes ago. "Anyway It was really nice meeting you Dory"_

" _Torrey" the brunette in the front corrected her._

" _Don't worry" Emily held her hands up. "I'm not judging. It's a lovely name. Just...not one of my favourites"_

" _No, My names not Dory, it's…Nevermind" Paige's fiance sighed, seeing clearly that Emily wasn't listening to a single word she was saying and was only interested in chanting "just keep swimming" over and over again._

" _What are you doing?" Emily asked when she saw Paige unbuckling her own seatbelt._

" _Helping you inside…"_

" _Listen" Emily closed her eyes and sat for a few seconds trying to form a sentence. "Thank you for helping me get home but I'm a big girl now, No need to be so controlling anymore"_

" _Okay, but do you atleast want to put on your shoes" Paige asked, gesturing to the black heels on the floor that Emily had kicked off earlier._

 _Emily slipped into her shoes, opened the car and slowly stepped her foot out but her heal slid across the gravel and her whole body dropped to the ground beneath her._

" _Shit" Paige exclaimed, jumping out of the car and running around it to get to the brunette._

" _She okay?" Torrey shouted out the window._

 _Paige looked down at Emily on the floor, her whole body was shaking as loud cackling erupted from her mouth. The red haired woman shook her head and smiled as she leaned down to help the brunette up._

" _Yeah" Paige replied to Torrey, finding herself bursting into a fit of uncontrollable laughter along with Emily "She's fine"_

XXXXXXXXXX

"Oh God" Emily laughed, her head buried in her hands in embarrassment.

"Yeah" Paige sniggered. "You were pretty wasted"

"I'm so sorry about that. Honestly, I have no filter when I'm drunk"

Paige shook her head furiously and quickly swallowed the contents of her mouth. "No don't apologise" she spoke up. "That night was the highlight of my week. Walking from my car to your door...that was the most I had laughed in a long time"

"Well, I may not have been sober enough to enjoy it, but I can tell you, before that night it had been a while since I laughed so much"

"You were saying the randomest and funniest shit" Paige laughed.

Emily almost spit out the contents of her mouth as she thought back to the story Paige told her a few minutes before.

"You called my fiance Dory" Paige cackled.

Emily smacked her hand on the counter in front of her and dropped her head back, her shoulders shaking as she laughed along with her ex-girlfriend. She hadn't laughed this much in weeks. It felt good.

"You remembered it so well" Emily smiled once the strenuous laughter subsided.

"It was kind of hard to forget." Paige admitted, not looking Emily in the eye as she said it.

Paige finally looked up from her drink and into Emily's eyes the exact moment Emily looked into hers. After a few moments of gazing, Emily chuckled nervously and looked away, remembering what happened in the teachers lounge today when they were in the exact same position.

The brunette cleared her throat and took a sip of her Margarita while Paige stared at the full bottle of Jack Daniels the bartender had just placed in front of her.

"Anyway" Paige broke the awkward silence that fell over them "I'm guessing I already know what brings you here"

Emily watched as Paige took a deep breath and continued to speak.

"Aria told Ali, didn't she"

The brunette gazed at the glass in front of her, suddenly realising she was sitting in a bar laughing with her ex, the ex she almost kissed today, the ex that is part of the reason she's sitting here right now and not at home with her wife.

"Emily, I shouldn't have leaned forward it was just kind of the heat of the moment but..."

"That's not it" Emily raised her voice, shaking her hand and willing Paige to stop talking. She did not want the events of earlier today to be repeated to her and definitally didn't want to listen to an explanation from Paige.

Paige swallowed hard and looked at Emily swig back the last of her margarita. "Then why are you here" she asked. "Why aren't you at home with Ali"

Emily let out an exasperated sigh, thinking back to the fight that led her to this bar. "That...Is a long story"

"I've got time" Paige smiled.

"No, I just want to forget about all that okay, not relive it" Emily snapped

Paige didn't want to push Emily to talk about it, she didn't want to piss her off...especially since they were deep into an actual conversation which has been the most she had gotten from Emily in the past two weeks.

"Well, seems like both of us are in a pretty shitty place at the moment" The red head sighed.

"You know I am sorry for what I did to you" Emily blurted out, finally finding the courage to say what she wanted to say right after Paige mentioned it awhile ago when she was filling in the lost time.

"No Em" Paige shook her head. "Let's not talk about that okay. Lets just drown out our problems with a few glasses of this" she gestured to the full bottle of Jack daniels in front of her. "I don't know about you but I'm in the mood to get drunk"


	17. This Is How A Heart Breaks

**Happy Easter Everyone!**

 **I had a lot of family visit over the Easter weekend so didn't get the chance to edit this chapter and post it until today. I spent most of today working on this story. I went back on all the chapters and fixed them up. Some of them had a few spelling mistakes and a bit of bad grammar but that's all taken care of now. If you've been here since the start and read the first chapter when it was an absolute mess you should go back and re-read it, the new and improved chapter 1;-)**

 **Thank you all so much for the reviews you left on the latest chapter, please keep them coming:)**

* * *

 **Chapter 17: This Is How A Heart Breaks.**

Alison gasped for air as she shot up from the sofa, her pulse was rapid and beads of sweat were dripping from her forehead. She didn't realise there was tears spilling down her cheeks until she sat up straight and wiped her face with her hands. She had just had one of the worse dreams of her life and it starred her wife and a certain redhead.

The blonde closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths to compose herself and tried desperately to erase the image in her head of her wife and Paige fooling around in their bedroom. It was such a realistic dream that it actually scared her and she had to take a few moments to convince herself that it was in fact a dream and it didn't happen. But then she thought back to the fight her and Emily had the night before, between her wife not telling her about Paige working with her and not being able to give a straight answer when she asked if there was something going on between them, Ali found it harder and harder to convince herself that her nightmare was just that...A nightmare.

When Alison managed to calm herself down she ran both hands through her ruffled hair and looked around the living room. She couldn't remember falling asleep last night, then when she saw the wine bottle on the coffee table in front of her she figured that may have assisted. But the blonde knew she didn't have that much to drink, definitely no more than three glasses. The past week had consisted of sleepless nights with a teething Maddie and early morning wake up calls with Ellie and with minimal help from her wife, Ali had been absolutely exhausted. She was a complete mess last night after Emily left. She was filled with mixed emotions, spent the majority of the night bursting into tears and guessed she passed out as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Still in her clothes and shoes from the day before Ali pulled the blanket off her body and reached forward for her phone on the coffee table. She pressed the home button and looked at the time...just passing 6:00am. Ali had no clue what time Emily had come home at and no idea what to expect if she went upstairs. A severely hungover brunette was her best bet. She guessed Emily treated herself to a few glasses of the hard stuff at some bar last night and imagined she was going to find her passed out at the top of the stairs or somewhere in the bathroom.

A pounding headache settled over Alison as she stood up from the sofa and her first thought was that maybe she had more to drink than she thought. She reached down and picked up her glass and the empty bottle of wine she had opened the night before….Yeah, she definitely had more to drink than she thought.

Sitting at the kitchen island, Ali tossed an aspirin into her mouth and washed it down with the tall glass of icy cold water in her hand. She looked to the dining room table infront of her. The untouched food was still on the table, the wine still in the glasses and the swarm of candles and fairy lights still scattered around the room. She burried her face in her hands and let out an exasperated sigh. The blondes head was spinning, and not just from her alcohol she had consumed the night before. She really didn't know what to think...she didn't know what to believe. She had spent the past week trying to figure out what was going on in Emilys head, why she was so distant and why she seemed like she had just given up and Alison blamed herself for it all, she blamed herself and her moods for her wife's state but after last night, the blonde knew that Paige may just have been the reason for most of that.

As much as Ali wanted to, she knew going upstairs to Emily right now may do more harm than good because they both had a lot left to say and Emily definitally had a lot more explaining to do. Maybe she would leave it for at least another hour or two, give the sun a chance to rise and the birds a chance to chirp before they resumed where they left off last night.

Ali got up from her chair and refilled her glass of water at the sink. She looked out the window and couldn't help but let her eyes trail over to the kissing rock in the corner of the garden. She could see the red heart with EF and AD in the middle of it. Just looking at it made Ali's eyes sting with unshed tears and she thought back to all the special moments they had with that rock. She was broken from her gaze when her glass began to overflow and spill out all over the counter and before she could freak out about it she dropped her head back and inhaled a deep breath to calm herself but it was no use because silent tears were already flowing down her cheek. She knew she wasn't upset about spilling her water everywhere, she was upset because her marriage was falling apart right infront of her eyes...Again.

The blonde sauntered back into the living room, her tall glass of water in hand and slouched back into the sofa. A good idea right now would be to go back to sleep. With the kids in Pams and her motherly duties on hold until later in the afternoon, she could go get some more sleep, catch up on the hours she had been deprived of the past few weeks. She rested her head onto the pillow and pulled one of the twins light grey blankets up over her body as her eyes slowly fluttered closed but before she could drift off into a deep sleep a loud bang from the front door made her jump from the sofa.

* * *

"Okay, I just got completely ignored so you guys can take the next round" Hanna held up her hands as she walked in through kitchen, just down the hall from the guest bedroom, the one their friend had taken refuge in.

"Just leave her, She'll talk about it when she's ready" Aria sighed, that sentence being the first that left her mouth since she arrived a few minutes before.

"What time did she get here at?" Hanna asked, directing her question specifically to the yawning brunette with a coffee cup in her hand.

Spencer put her cup on the table and ran her hand through her ruffled hair before folding her arms infront of her chest. "About 11"

"Was she Okay?" The blonde asked.

"Define Okay" Spencer scratched her temple. "I mean she came in here and said she needed somewhere to stay. The twins were screaming and she looked like she could break down at any minute so I just let her straight into the guest room. I asked if everything was okay but she wouldn't tell me anything, I didn't really want to push"

"Do you think her and Emily had another fight?" Hanna questioned.

"I honestly don't know" Spencer sighed. "I'd say that's the best guess but if it was, it must have been some serious fight"

"Ali really seemed like she wanted to sort things out with Emily yesterday" Hanna shook her head. "I wonder what changed that"

Aria let out a shaky breath and continued tapping her foot nervously on the floor which let both Hanna and Spencer to look at her questionably.

"Aria" Hanna called out, earning no response from her friend. "Hello, Earth to Aria" the blonde snapped her fingers

"Hmm?" Aria mumbled, breaking out of her trance and darting her eyes up to the blonde and brunette standing infront of her.

"What's wrong?" Spencer questioned.

"Nothing" the petite brunette answered after a moment of hesitation. She shuffled uncomfortably on the chair she was sitting on and stared at the flower pot in the middle of the table, trying to ignore the looks shared between Hanna and Spencer.

Spencer zoomed over to the table and sat next to her friend. She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. "You know something?"

Aria closed her eyes and let out a deep exasperated sighed as she rubbed her hands over her face.

"Aria" Hanna called out. "Do you know what happened?"

"M...Maybe" Aria stuttered. "I don't know"

A caffeine bug-eyed Spencer leaned closer to Aria and stared at her, willing her to speak while Hanna stood across from them, her arms folded and her eyes wide open with that 'You're not leaving here without an explanation' look on her face.

"Okay" Aria blew out a breath, realising there was no way Hanna and Spencer were going to leave her alone unless she told them what she knew. "So...about two weeks ago Paige got a job at RHS"

"What?" Spencer exclaimed.

"Paige...As in Paige McCullers?" Hanna furrowed her brows.

"Yes...Hanna, how many other Paige's do you know?" Aria rolled her eyes.

Spencer scrunched her face and glared at Aria. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"You're not the only ones who didn't know Spence" Aria sighed. "Emily never told Ali"

"Are you serious" Spencer said in a low voice, her eyes wide open.

"She has no idea?" Hanna questioned.

Aria swallowed hard and held her gaze on the napkin she was fiddling with in her hands. "Until yesterday"

"Did Emily tell her?" Spencer asked

"Is that what they're fighting about?" Hanna questioned.

"Y...Yeah, I think so" Aria mumbled, answering Hannas question first. "But Emily didn't tell her"

"What?...Then who did" Spencer furrowed her brows.

Aria widened her eyes and sighed, still not taking her gaze off the napkin in her hand.

"You did...didn't you?" Hanna breathed out.

"Did Emily seem like she was going to tell Ali or not?" Spencer questioned with a firmness to her tone.

"I don't know" Aria raised her voice, becoming a little flustered at the questions being thrown at her. "That's the worst thing...She wouldn't talk to me about it. I brought it up once or twice and she freaked out at me and told me to mind my own business."

"Maybe you should have minded your own business" Hanna muttered under her breath.

"What's that supposed to mean" Aria glared at the blonde.

Hanna shook her head and exhaled a deep breath. "When you came into the store at lunch yesterday...Is that when you told Ali?"

Aria blinked a few times and chewed nervously on her bottom lip. "Yeah"

The blonde rolled her eyes and let out a loud scoff. "No wonder her mood completely changed after you left"

"I had to Hanna I…"

"No" Hanna spoke up. "We had a talk yesterday and Ali was ready to go home and fix things between them. She admitted that she was a total bitch towards Em lately and maybe that's why Emily didn't tell her about Paige, maybe she had her reasons"

"Will you keep your voices down" Spencer scolded in a loud whisper. "She's right down the hall."

"You should have talked to Emily first" Hanna continued. "I know you think you did the right thing but I'm pretty certain she would have told Ali soon enough"

"Well soon enough isn't soon enough Hanna" Aria spoke out.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hanna sneered at the petite brunette.

Aria clenched her jaw and exhaled deeply through her nose. "I interrupted a moment between Emily and Paige in the teachers lounge yesterday morning and there was no way I could ignore it anymore. Ali deserved to know her wife's ex girlfriend is now working with her and since Emily didn't seem like she was going to tell Ali anytime soon I knew I had to"

"Hang on" Spencer held up her hands. "What kind of a moment?"

"Did they kiss?" Hanna widened her eyes.

"Almost" Aria sighed.

"What did you just say?" A voice called out from the door frame causing all three woman to jerk their heads up. Arias face dropped and Spencer and Hanna widened their eyes to each other when they saw the blonde standing infront of them, her eyes puffy from crying and her face as white as a sheet.

Alison felt her heart pounding against her chest and a wave of nausea hit her body. She looked at her three friends infront of them and tried desperately to swallow the sob caught in the back of her throat.

"Did...did you not know?" Aria asked quietly, her voice shaking.

Alison swallowed hard and looked straight ahead of her, willing the tears brimming in her eyes not to fall down her face. She very softly shook her head and turned around, quickly making her way back down the hall to her daughters in the guest bedroom.

"Ali" Spencer called out as she ran after the blonde.

Hanna shook her head and stared absentmindedly out the kitchen window for a few seconds before grabbing her keys from the table and swinging her bag over her shoulder with a loud huff. "I...I have to go...I have to get to work" she sighed. "Clearly Ali isn't going to be going in today so I need to cover her shift. Tell Spence I'll call to Emily afterwards and see if I can find out anything"

"I can go see Emily now" Aria suggested as she stood up from her seat.

"No" Hanna scoffed as she made her way towards the kitchen door. "You've done enough"

* * *

 **Hey this is Alison, can't take your call right now but you know what to do...BEEP**

Emily dropped her head back and sighed as she heard Alison's voicemail for the thousandth time. She had no idea where Ali had gone after she stormed out this morning and no idea what time she was going to come home. She knew she could go out and look for her but she also knew what Ali needed more than anything right now was some space and her interfering with that would just make the situation worse….If it could even get any worse.

Sitting there on the sofa, wrapped in the blanket that Ali had been wrapped in this morning the brunette buried her head in her hands, tears flowing freely down her pale face. She knew she could be doing about 100 other things right now but she just couldn't find a point in any of it. Instead of sitting there felling sorry for herself she could be out there making things right with her wife. She didn't know what was holding her back or why her head was telling her to stay where she was but she just could find the strength or motivation to pull herself off the sofa.

The brunettes head was pounding and she could feel the bile rising in her stomach. She felt absolutely terrible and knew very well that the hangover was only contributing to a small proportion of that feeling. She could do what she had done last night, drown out her feeling with alcohol and as much as she wanted do that, as much as she wanted to just forget about everything right now she knew she couldn't...There was no was she could never forget about this no matter how hard she tried.

The brunette pressed the home button on her phone and looked at the time. Just passing 1pm and officially the longest day of her life. It felt like an eternity since Ali stormed out. She closed her eyes, dropped her head back on the sofa and cringed as flashbacks of the night before came tumbling through her mind.

XXXXXXXXXX

" _No Em" Paige shook her head. "Let's not talk about that okay. Lets just drown out our problems with a few glasses of this" Paige gestured to the full bottle of Jack daniels in front of her. "I don't know about you but I'm in the mood to get drunk"_

 _Emily looked at the bottle Paige was referring. It was like a wave of realisation washed over her and snapped her back to reality, the reality that was her sitting in a bar with her ex girlfriend. What the hell was she thinking right now?_ _She tells her wife there's nothing going on between her and Paige and yet here she is...having a full blown conversation with her and finds herself actually considering splitting a bottle between them. She may have had a few margaritas but her judgement definitely wasn't impaired and there was no way she was willing to make her situation with Ali 100 times worse by stumbling in her door, drunk with her ex girlfriend once again._

" _I..." Emily widened her eyes and swallowed hard. "I'm sorry but..." She stepped up from her seat, her pulse racing. "I have to go" she breathed out, picking up her phone from the counter and almost stumbling away._

" _Emily" Paige followed after the brunette as she made her way to the door. "Em, come back here please"_

 _Emily completely ignored her ex's plea and paced outside into the cold and dreary night. She had no intention of going home to Ali right now but there was no way she could stay here._

" _Please don't leave me again" Paige shouted as she ran outside the door after the brunette._

 _Emily jerked her head up and took a few desperate breaths. Paige's words replayed in her head like a train on the tracks. 'Please don't leave me...AGAIN.' It was a no brainer what her ex was referring to and Emily thought she forgave herself for what she done to Paige a long time ago, but suddenly, she hated herself all over again._

" _Come on, you owe me this much" Paige sighed "We both need a night to just forget everything"_

 _Emily turned around to face her ex, her lips trembling and eyes welling with unshed tears. "Paige, I...I can't"_

" _Come on Emily, I know there's something going on with you, I knew from the moment I saw you two weeks ago...You're not the same Emily that left me in California ten years ago, your different...Your broken...We're broken"_

 _Emily looked at Paige, her heart pounding against her chest at the red heads words. Everything Paige said was true...there was something going on with her, she wasn't the same person she was ten years ago and she was in fact...broken._

" _We can share a bottle and talk. It helps to talk, especially to someone who cares, and I care Emily...I do. I never stopped caring about you"_

 _Paige reached her hand out for Emily and Emily looked down at it. Persuasion was one trait she always gave Paige credit for, her ex managed to persuade her to do so many things...from skydiving to skinny dipping and now she was persuading her to go back inside that bar to share a bottle and as much as Emily hated to admit it...it was working._

 _It was like everything else around them disappeared and it was just her and Paige. The soft smile on Paige's face and the hope in her eyes made the brunette's mouth move before her brain could catch up because next thing she knew she was holding her ex's hand, allowing her to guide them back into the bar...What she never knew would end up being the biggest mistake of her life._

XXXXXXXXXX

An icy cold glass of water being thrown over the brunettes face made her jerk her head up from the sofa so fast she felt lightheaded afterwards.

"Get up" she heard the voice yell.

"W...what" Emily coughed.

"Wake up Emily"

The brunette squinted her eyes, trying to clear her blurred vision of the person in front of her. Her pulse started racing when she saw the blonde standing there with her hands on her hips and she felt a twinge of relief to see her wife had come back to her. She blinked a few more times and rubbed her eyes to clear her vlurred vision but when she looked up again, the person infront of her was in fact a blonde...just not the blonde she was hoping for.

"What are you doing Hanna" Emily raised her voice, drying her face with the blanket that had been wrapped around her body. "You didn't have to almost drown me. I wasn't asleep"

"Emily, I've been pounding on your door the past ten minutes"

"I...I wasn't sleeping I was...I was thinking" the brunette stuttered.

"No Emily you were dreaming" Hanna stated icily, folding her arms in front of her chest. "I had to shimmy in your kitchen window I...I thought something was after happening to you"

Emily ran her hands through her ruffled hair and looked around her, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "W...what time is it?"

"It's almost six" Hanna answered.

"What?" Emily exclaimed. "Oh my god I...I fell asleep. How the hell did I fall asleep?"

"That's the question of the night" Hanna scoffed, her expression cold and hard.

"Ali...Where's Ali. Do you know where she is?" Emily jumped up from the sofa and frantically shuffled around the chair to find her phone.

"You mean you havent talked to her since this morning?" The blonde raised her eyebrows.

"I...I was going to I just...I fell asleep" Emily breathed out, pulling the cushions from the sofa and tossing them on the floor.

"Emily she's…"

"Shit" the brunette yelled, frantically tapping the home button on her phone. "It's dead"

"Will you calm down" Hanna spoke out, walking towards the brunette and holding her by the shoulders. "Emily what happened between you two?"

"We're you talking to Ali?" Emily questioned.

"I saw her this morning before work but she..."

"Is she Okay?" Emily blurted out.

"She's a mess Emily" Hanna shook her head. "She took refuge in Spencer's guest room and won't talk to anyone but the twins"

Emily moved her eyes from Hanna to the front door.

Hanna looked at Emily. "Can you please tell me what the hell is going on and why..."

"I have to go" Emily interrupted as she stormed past the blonde.

"Emily" Hanna yelled after the brunette. "Emily you don't even have your shoes on come back here" she shouted as she ran out the door after her friend.

* * *

"Ali, are you sure you don't want something to eat" Spencer asked softly as she took a seat next to the blonde on the living room sofa.

"What?" Ali questioned, pulling her gaze from the wedding ring she was fidgeting with on her finger.

"Do you want some food? You haven't eaten all day"

"No" Ali sighed, running her hand through her ruffled hair. "I'm fine...Thanks"

Spencer nodded her head and played with the loose threat on the sofa. "I put some extra blankets into the playpen for the girls" she said. "Oh and there's plenty of clothes for them in the..."

"Where's Ali" Emily blurted out as she burst through the front door, leading both Alison and Spencer to jerk their heads up. "Alison" the brunette called out, not giving anyone a chance to answer her question.

Hanna ran through the door right after Emily and her and Spencer shared a knowing look, the kind of look that told each other they need to get out of here right now before the shit hits the fan.

"Emily, what are you doing here?" Alison shouted as she stood up from the chair.

"Han let's go out to the playroom to Toby" Spencer widened her eyes to the blonde. Hanna nodded and followed the brunette out through the living room door, giving Emily and Ali a little privacy for whatever was about to go down.

"Ali...Can we talk" Emily panted, still out of breath from being chased to the front door by Hanna.

"No we can't" Alison hissed.

"Please Ali I just…."

"I said no Emily" the blonde yelled. "There's nothing left to talk about"

"I fucked up" the brunette rasped. "I'm sorry"

"I'm sorry" Ali scoffed. "Is that all you have to say for yourself? Your sorry"

"Alison, I made a huge mistake" Emily breathed out.

Alison held the bridge of her nose with both fingers and shook her head, her jaw clenching in anger. As much as she wanted to give Emily a piece of her mind right now she knew this was not the time or the place.

"The girls and I are going to be staying at Spencers for now" Ali started with a deep sigh, folding her arms infront of her chest. "I'll get someone to bring them to you on Monday. That will be two nights with me and you can take them the following two nights. We'll switch off like that until we can figure out a real schedule"

"W..What?" Emily chuckled softly in disbelief. "How..how long is this going to be going on?"

Ali swallowed hard. "I don't know"

"Alison...please, don't...don't do this" Emily begged.

Alison glared at the brunette. "You did this to yourself Emily"

"Where are they?" Emily croaked, her voice giving it away that she was ready to burst into tears. "Where are my girls"

"There going to bed soon" Ali spoke out. "You can see them on Monday when it's your turn. Now get out of my sight and stay as far away from me as possible"

* * *

Spencer, Toby and Hanna sat on the mat in the playroom with the kids, listening to the muffling of Alison and Emily talking down the hall. Spencer looked up to her husband and gave him a sad smile. He caught her gaze but immediately looked back down to Maddie in his arms.

"Did Ali tell you what happened?" He asked after a deep sigh, not taking his eyes off his niece.

"I think I have an idea but she isn't really talking" Spencer said, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm pretty sure it has something to do with Paige."

"I tried to get something out of Emily when I went over but she's a complete mess, she wouldn't tell me anything" Hanna added.

Toby nodded his head at the girls words and cleared his throat as he handed his niece her favourite elephant, Iggy.

"What's wrong?" Spencer asked, noticing the worried expression appear on his face. "Why are you acting so weird today?"

Toby swallowed hard and finally looked up to his wife. He tried to hide his expression with a weak smile. "Nothings wrong" he lied. "It's just a weird day"

"Toby" Spencer called out in a firmer tone. "I know when your lying. What's wrong?"

Toby inhaled a deep breath and looked at Spencer. "This morning...I...I saw..."

"Emily, get back here" Ali yelled as Emily ran towards the playroom door, leading Hanna, Toby and Spencer to jerk up their heads.

"Hey Ellie bug" the brunette breathed out, her cheeks flushed and eyes puffy from crying. "Come to Mama" she encouraged the squealing one year old on the other side of the room with Haven.

Ellie gave her Mom a toothy grin and stood up from the floor, holding her hands high as she waddled towards her.

"Emily" Ali spoke out as she reached the playroom door, her hand resting firmly in her hips. "You need to leave"

"Just five minutes" Emily pleaded, scooping Ellie up from the floor and swaying her back and forth in her arms.

"Mama" Maddie yelled from Tobys knee, her hands outstretched towards Emily.

Spencer stood up from the floor and looked at Ali with a pleading expression on her face. "Five minutes" she whispered.

Ali glared at Emily and exhaled deeply through her nose before she stormed down the hall and out of sight.

Emily looked at Spencer and curved her lips into a weak smile as she balanced a gurgling and murmuring Ellie on her hip. She then trailed her eyes towards Toby who continued to sit on the floor and bounce the squirming one year old on his knee.

"Toby" Spencer called out. He looked up to her and she nodded to Emily with wide eyes, silently telling him to hand over the baby.

Toby cleared his throat and looked down to Maddie, giving her a little smile before standing up. He balanced the one year old in his arms and made his way over to Emily. The brunette looked at him but he refused to make eye contact. He simply handed her the curly haired baby and turned around, lifting up his own squealing daughter up and bringing her and Noah out of the room.

Spencer and Hanna watched Toby leave the room and waited with Emily while she kissed her daughters goodnight and told them how much she loved them. Neither of them knew what was going on between the married couple, they had an idea but they weren't sure. After a little under five minutes with the girls Ali walked back into the room and made her presence known when she pulled Ellie from Emily's arm.

"Ali..please" Emily breathed out. "Will you come home"

The blonde handed Ellie and Maddie to their aunts, both of who willingly took the them out of the room and up to the nursery to Toby, Noah and Haven.

"Goodbye...Emily" Ali hissed, turning her back on her wife and making her way down the hall.

* * *

It was a little after 9pm and Ali and Hanna were slouched back on the chair in front of the fire. It had been the first night in weeks that she managed to get the both babies down before 8pm but she had to give Spencer and Hanna a lot of credit for that. They helped bath the girls, change them, feed them and even laid in the room and read them a story until they fell asleep.

Alison rested her head on the back of the sofa, her eyes fixed on the TV in front of her but she wasn't watching it, her mind too full. She had put her feelings aside all day to take care of her daughters but now that they were asleep she felt like she could break down at any minute.

It took a lot of work from Hanna to get Emily to leave earlier. The brunette didn't fight with anyone or raise her voice to Alison once, she just cried and begged her wife to come home and refused to leave without her. Hanna had to pull Emily outside and tried to persuade her to get her into the car and when she finally managed to do it, she took her straight home.

Spencer walked in through the living room with a fresh bottle of wine in her hand. She looked to Ali, then to Hanna. Hanna pulled her gaze from the blonde in front of her and sighed up to the brunette. Neither of them really knew what to do, they didn't want to push Ali to talk so they just sat with her and watched the TV...although none of them were actually watching it.

Spencer trailed over to the sofa and took a seat next to Ali. "Do you want some more wine?"

"Why not" Ali sighed.

Spencer poured some into the blondes glass but Ali waved her fingers and gestured for more, not allowing Spencer to take the bottle away until the glass was full to the brim.

Spencer quickly took a seat and her and Hanna shared a look. Both of them widening their eyes at eachother and having a silent debate on who should talk first.

"Ali" Spencer finally called out, figuring if it wasn't her doing the talking than it was no one.

"Hmm?" Ali mumbled into the wine glass pressed against her lips.

"Do you want to talk" The brunette asked.

Alison squeezed her eyes closed and took a shaky breath. "No" She rasped, the tears she had been trying so hard to hold in all day now finally falling down her cheek. "It hurts...It hurts so much"

Spencer pulled Ali in her arms and Hanna walked over to the chair and sat beside them.

"It's okay" Spencer whispered, rubbing small circles on Ali's back. "It's okay"

"It's not okay" Ali sobbed. "It's never going to be okay again"

"Ali" Hanna sighed. "What happened? What did Emily do?"

Ali lifted her head from Spencer's shoulder and wiped her face with her selves. "Emily..." Ali trailed of with a sniffle. "She..." The blonde found it almost impossible to talk with the sob caught in the back of her throat.

"She what?" Spencer encouraged softly. "You can talk to us Ali"

Ali dropped her head back, darting her eyes to the ceiling to try prevent more tears flowing down her face. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then looked down to her hands. "Emily...She cheated on me"


	18. In Too Deep

**Hello Beautiful People:)**

 **So again, thank you so much for your feedback on the last chapter. Please continue to leave reviews because they really motivate me to get the next chapter edited and uploaded as fast as I can.**

 **I know some of you probably hate me for the turn this has taken but please stay with me because the story isin't over yet:)**

 **The next chapter is a long one so I hope you enjoy it;)**

* * *

 **Chapter 18: In Too Deep**

Emily sat on the floor in the living room, a bottle of wine in one hand and a photoframe with a picture of her, Ali and the twins in the other. Her's and Alison's wedding video was playing in the background and Emily couldn't help but burst into spontaneous tears every few minutes. She had given up trying to call Alison because each time she did there was no answer. The blonde completely ignored her calls, texts and voicemails and it killed Emily inside because all she wanted was to hear Alison's voice, even if it was just for a few seconds. The brunette knew she had absolutely no reason to feel sorry for herself. After all, this pain was self inflicted. She had committed the most unforgiveable sin known to mankind...She cheated on her wife.

Emily dropped her head back and closed her eyes, a few silent tears flowing down her cheek as the soft murmuring of the song 'I Can't Help falling in love with you' by Elvis Presley started playing in the background. The brunette couldn't bring herself to look up at the TV because that song was the one played for their first dance and she knew if she looked up and saw how happy her and Alison were in that moment she would break down just like she had so many times since Alison left on Saturday morning. Emily pressed the wine bottle against her lips and took a few large gulps, finding her mind drifting into a daydream of her and her beautiful wife.

A knock on the door broke Emily from her thoughts and she immediately jumped up, hoping and praying that it was Alison and that she had decided to come home. The brunette sniffled and wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve as she stood up from her spot on the ground. She ran her hand through her ruffled hair as she made her way to the door and quickly swung it open. All she could do when she saw who was infront of her was leave a shaky breath because that person made flashbacks of the worst morning of her life come tumbling through her head.

XXXXXXXXXX

 _Emily woke from her sleep with a pounding headache and a sick feeling in her in the pit of her stomach. Why did she always do this to herself? She always goes over the limits with her alcohol intake and never thinks of the consequences until there already there. Her first thought was what the hell happened last night because everything after they switched to tequila was a complete blur._

 _It was so much effort to even open her eyes. The brunette swallowed hard and immediately felt the bile rise in her stomach but managed to compose herself and not vomit all over the bed. She sat up and yawned as she ran her hand through her hair and she squinted her eyes to try to clear her blurred vision but immediately regretted it once she did. All she knew was that she was in a bed, but the bed wasn't hers._

 _She had absolutely no idea what she was doing here but her half naked body pretty much told the whole story. She felt her pulse race and she shut her eyes tightly, willing herself to wake up from whatever nightmare she was stuck in but when she opened her eyes again she was still in the same room._

 _Emily tensed her whole body when she heard the covers tugging and ruffling beside her and practically held her breath until she knew whoever it was beside her was still asleep. She stared at the wall in front of her for a few seconds before slowly sauntering her eyes to the person next to her. She widened her eyes and looked away immediately because sure enough she was met with the face of her ex girlfriend, Paige McCullers._

 _The brunette gagged, smacking her arms to her mouth and hoping the vomit wouldn't come gushing out of her. She felt sick to her stomach, and not just from the hangover. She looked at Paige one more time and scrunched her face in disgust at what she had done. She slowly leaned forward to get up but the loud creaking from the bed was enough to wake the red head next to her._

 _"Hmm" Paige mumbled. "Good Morning"_

 _"I need to go" Emily said in a shaky voice as she stepped up from the bed and quickly slipped into her jeans and t-shirt._

 _"Were you just going to leave without saying goodbye" the read head asked as she ran her hand through her ruffled hair._

 _Emily heart was racing at Paiges words and her breathing got faster and faster as she scanned her eyes around the room for her discarded jacket._

 _"You want me to drop you home?" Paige asked, resting her head on her hand and curving her lips into a small smile._

 _"No" Emily breathed out, throwing her jacket over her body. "No way"_

 _Emilys felt her heard pounding against her chest as she walked towards the door as fast as she could, leaving her dignity and self respect behind. She made her way out of the messy apartment with a sick feeling to her stomach and an icy cold feeling rushing through her veins. She immediately recognised where she was when she got into the lobby, she was at the Radley...and Ashley Marin was about ten feet away from her barking orders to some waitress near the elevator. Emily nearly passed out when she saw her friends mother and kept her head down as she paced out through the front door, luckily without being seen by anyone._

 _When the brunette walked out into the darkness she pressed the home button on her phone to see what time it was...Just passing 5am. What the hell was she going to do. There was no way Ali could ever know about this but there was also no way she would be able to look at her wife without being reminded of what she done. Her pulse was racing and her head was spinning. She couldn't face Ali right now without breaking down. If she was lucky she would have a few more hours to get her story straight before Ali woke up, or considering the way Ali tended to overreact at situations, she could walk into a swarm of police officers on the hunt for her, after all, she had been gone since 7:00 last night. The brunette hoped Ali hadn't noticed she'd been gone all night, maybe she could just lay in bed next to her and pretend nothing happened, pretend she went for a few drinks but came home before midnight. Pretend everything she wished could have been different._

 _Emily almost jumped out of her skin when she heard a horn beep at her and tensed her whole body as the car approached and pulled up beside her. When she turned her head and saw who was in the drivers seat, that was enough to make the vomit she was trying to keep down come flying out of her mouth._

" _Jesus" Toby exclaimed as he hopped out of the police car. "Are you okay"_

 _Emily continued to spill her guts onto the sidewalk while Toby stood behind her and rubbed her back, his eyebrows furrowed and face scrunched in confusion. She finally managed to stand up straight and she wiped her mouth with her hand as she looked at Toby. This was worse than the worse than the worst case scenario, getting caught doing the walk of shame by her friend. There was no way she was getting out of this._

" _Emily...Are you okay?" Toby asked again, a concerned expression now taking over his face._

 _Emily leaned forward and rested her hands on her knees. Of course she wasn't okay...she woke up in bed with her ex girlfriend and she couldn't remember any of it. She took a few deep breaths, trying to get her story straight...trying to figure out what the hell she was going to tell her friend but the only thing her mind was focussed on was how much she fucked up, how Alison was never going to forgive her if she found out and how she had absolutely no hope of getting out of this situation with Toby easily...at least not without a valid explanation which she really couldn't think of right now._

 _Toby bent down in front the brunette and tilted his head. " Where were you Em?"_

" _I...I..." Emily stuttered, finding herself getting lost for words and having absolutely no idea how to answer that question. She stood up straight and put her hands on her hips, her pulse racing and mind overflowing with horrible thoughts. "I was...I just" she took a deep breath and scratched the back of her neck nervously._

" _Emily what happened?...Did something happen to you" Toby asked, eyeing the brunette in front of him and waiting for her to answer._

" _I was...at a bar" Emily blurted out, running her hand through her ruffled hair._

 _Toby raised his eyebrows and stared blankly at Emily. "Until now?"_

" _No I went...I...Yeah. Until now" Emily croaked, her voice shaky and unconvincing. She looked at Toby as he starred her up and down, probably taking notice to the fact that her top was on inside out, her heels were in her hand and her makeup was all smudged. Emily swallowed hard as his eyes met hers and she could tell he was clenching his teeth and breathing deeply through his nose._

" _Emily" Toby closed his eyes. "I think it's time you cut the crap and tell me what's going on"_

 _Emily's blood went icy cold at Toby's words. She knew she was in too deep and there was no getting out of the hole she had dug for herself. This was her fault, she brought this on herself. She watched Toby as he let out a deep sigh and looked down to the phone in his hand and all that went through the brunettes mind was that he was going to call Ali._

" _I...I already told you I was at the bar" She said defensively._

" _No you weren't" Toby shook his head as he put the phone into his back pocket. "If you were at the bar until now you would be drunk and You're not drunk Emily...You're hungover"_

 _Emily exhaled a deep breath and ran both hands through her ruffled hair. Her face gave the impression that she was about to burst into tears and her mouth kept opening and closing, showing Toby she was trying, but failing to explain herself._

 _The brunette man scratched his forehead with his thumb and looked down at the ground, letting awkward silence fall between them._

" _I...I have to...I need to go" Emily croaked, trying desperately to hold back the sob caught in the back of her throat._

" _I'll take you home" Toby sighed._

" _No" Emily breathed out. "I...I can't go home"_

" _Yes Emily. You can" Toby spoke out as he opened the car door and gestured for her to get in. "Look...You can do whatever you want once you step out of this car later. You can feed Ali some bullshit story about falling asleep in the bar or pretend nothing happened but just a little bit of advice...Secrets always come back to bite you in the ass"_

XXXXXXXXXX

"T...Toby" Emily cleared her throat, resting her head on the door. "What are you doing here?"

"Bringing the girls to you" He answered while stepping inside the house, one twin balancing on each hip.

"W...What?" Emily furrowed her brows. "Did Ali change her mind? Is she coming home?"

"What do you mean did she change her mind" Toby questioned, swaying back and forth to try to sooth two very restless and tired babies.

"She said I can't have the girls until Monday"

Toby furrowed his brows at the brunette. "It is Monday Emily"

Emily widened her eyes and looked around her. "It...it's Monday"

"Yeah" Toby stated.

"No...it's not Monday. I have work Monday" Emily ran her hand through her ruffled hair.

Toby looked at the brunette in front of him. Dark circles surrounded her puffy eyes, a pale complexion covered her face and she stunk of alcohol. He clenched his teeth and blew out a deep breath as he fixed Ellie in his arms. "Are you drunk?"

"What" she laughed, shaking her head furiously to her friend infront of her. "No, I'm not...I'm not drunk"

Toby walked further into the living room and looked around him. The two wine bottles on the coffee table and the empty bottle of tequila on the floor was enough for him to know that Emily was lying. He just shook his head and turned around, quickly making his way back out towards the front door with Ellie and Maddie in his arms.

"Where are you going Toby, it's my night with the girls" Emily called out as she followed the brunette man to the door.

"There's no way I'm leaving them here with you. You're a mess" Toby exclaimed, stepping outside of the house.

"Of course I'm a mess" Emily chuckled. "I cheated on my wife"

Toby shook his head in disapproval as he turned around and made his way down the steps.

"Come back here" The brunette shouted after him but he just ignored her. "Toby, I swear to god if you walk away with my kids I'll come and get them myself"

"Emily" Toby turned around as Maddie began winging over his shoulder. "Don't...okay. Just stay away"

* * *

"Ali" Noah sang to the blonde who was putting the book she had just read to him back on his bookshelf.

"Yeah buddy" Ali smiled, making her way back over to the bed and taking a seat on the corner of it.

"Why isn't aunty Em having sleepovers like you and Ellie and Maddie" he asked.

"Ehm" Ali cleared her throat and swallowed hard as she tucked him in. "Aunty Em…" she trailed off with a sniffle, closing her eyes and willing tears not to fall from them at the mention of her wifes name "She….She's just a little preoccupied at the moment"

Noah pulled the beaker of tea from his mouth and looked up to his aunt, his eyes full of curiosity. "What does...Peeocupied mean?"

"It..It means she's...There's something taking up her attention...She's busy" Alison answered bluntly.

"Is it Paige?" Noah questioned with furrowed brows.

Alis eyes widened and she looked down to her nephew. "Hmm" she cleared her throat and swallowed hard. "What?"

"I heard Mommy and Daddy talking" he stared off, playing with the ears of his teddy. "They said Paige and Em did something bad. Is that why Em is pock...peyock"

"Preoccupied" Ali smiled down do her nephew as he tried to sound out the word.

"Preoccupied" Noah grinned up to his aunt.

"Yeah Buddy" Ali sighed as she reached forward for the lamp on the bedside table.

"Did aunty Em get a timeout for doing a bad thing?" He asked before Ali could turn the light off. "Is that why she was crying?"

Ali swallowed hard as she resumed her position on the corner of the bed. "No, she didn't get a timeout she was just...she was a bit sad that's all"

"We should give Em a timeout" Noah giggled over the beaker in his mouth.

"Yeah" Ali chuckled as she stepped up from the bed. "We should...shouldn't we"

Noah nodded to his aunt as she turned the lamp off and nightlight on and put his beaker of tea back to his lips as his aunt walked towards the door.

"Night Ali" He mumbled.

"Goodnight Buddy" Ali called back before closing the door behind her.

Ali leaned against the closed door and shut her eyes. It hurt so much to talk about her wife, especially to a six year old who didn't understand what was going on or why his aunt had suddenly moved into his house. Trying to sugarcoat the situation felt nauseating because there was no possible way to sugarcoat what Emily had done.

Alison stayed in that position for a few moments, just standing there in the quiet and allowing herself to drown in her thoughts. Suddenly a few moments turned into five minutes and the blonde shook her head, snapping herself out of the trance she had fallen into and making her way down the hall to check on Haven. She quietly peeked into the nursery to see the sandy haired baby passed out like a starfish in her crib and her lips curved into a smile at how much she looked like Spencer when she slept.

As Alison closed the door she let out an exasperated sigh just thinking that she wasn't going to be able to watch her girls sleep tonight. The past few days she slept with the playpen close to her, just watching her daughters and she knew that was the only thing that had kept her from crying herself to sleep every night. After her mini breakdown infront of Hanna and Spencer on Friday night, Ali forced herself to ignore her feelings. She tried to stay strong and hold herself together for her daughters' sake but now that they were going to be with Emily tonight, the blonde felt all that emotion that she had been bottling up was all going to come out of her at once and she was definitally not looking forward to that.

When Ali trailed down the stairs and into the living room she was a little taken back to see Toby standing there with the Spencer and the twins because the twins were suppose to be with Emily right now. She furrowed her brows and looked between Toby and Spencer.

"I couldn't leave them there Ali" Toby said in a quiet voice so as not to wake Ellie in his arms.

Ali looked at Maddie in Spencer's arms, the one year old was reaching her little arms out to her and groaning quietly. The blonde walked towards her daughter and lifted her up, holding her close to her chest and swaying her from side to side.

"Why?" She asked. "Is something wrong?"

Toby looked at Spencer and cleared his throat, then moved his eyes back to Ali. "Emily was a complete mess." he sighed. "She was drunk...She didn't even know what day it was"

* * *

"Did she go down okay?" Spencer asked from her spot on the dining room table where she was just finishing up the last of her paperwork.

"Just about" Ali sighed as she sat on the chair across the table from Spencer. "She was tossing and turning so I'm guessing she will wake up again soon"

"Did you put some of that teething gel on her gums?" the brunette questioned, closing her laptop and tidying away the sheets scattered around her.

"Yeah but it's not working" Ali yawned and burried her face in her hands. "Nothings working"

"Poor baby" Spencer pouted as she sat back and took a sip from the decaf she had forced herself to drink. "I feel so sorry for her...and you. It's not easy with a teething baby, especially one as bad as Maddie"

"She's been like this about three weeks and the tooth is barely even up yet"

Spencer shook her head and opened her mouth to speak but before she could, a loud pounding echoed through the house.

Toby, who had been standing at the kitchen counter making himself a sandwich looked in the direction of the front door and closed his eyes, hoping it wasn't who he thought it was.

"I'll get it" he said as he wiped his hand off the teatowel to his side and made his way to the front door, picking up his pace once he got to the living room and hoping the continuous banging hadn't woken any of the kids. He saw the shadow of the person on the other side of the glass and once he opened the door he quickly stepped outside.

"Emily what are you doing here?" he sighed, closing the front door behind him.

"I'm here for the girls" the brunette answered. "It's my night and I've waited long enough for it"

"Go home" Toby spoke out in a firm voice.

"I said im here for the girls" Emily growled as she brushed past Toby and made her way inside the door of the cavanaugh household.

"Alison" she shouted as she made her way through the living room.

Spencer and Alison heard the brunettes voice from the kitchen and Ali could only leave out a deep sigh in response.

"I'll get rid of her" Spencer huffed, quickly standing up from the chair. "Stay there" she called back to the blonde as she made her way towards the kitchen door but it was too late because Emily was already inside with Toby following closely behind.

"It's my night with the girls Ali. Where are they?" Emily spoke out as she walked towards the blonde who was slowly standing up from her chair.

"Emily" Spencer called out. "Now is not the time for this Okay. You're drunk and you need to leave"

"No I'm not drunk" Emily hissed. "I'll admit I had one or two glasses of wine but that doesn't make me incapable of watching my kids"

"More like one or two bottles" Ali muttered under her breath.

"Look Emily, why don't you just go home okay, have a good night sleep and you can have the girls first thing in the morning" Toby suggested softly, trying to diffuse the situation before it blew up.

"No, I will not go home because we made a deal" the brunette shouted to the blonde. "You have them two nights and I have them two nights"

"Emily" Alison spoke out. "I have just about had enough of your shit over the past few days and I am in no mood to fight with you right now so I'm going to tell once...Go home"

"I'm not leaving here without the girls Ali"

"Well there no way I'm letting them anywhere near you in that state. You can see them tomorrow when you've sorted yourself out okay now GO HOME"

"No" The brunette chuckled to herself. "You don't tell me when I can and cannot see my children Ali. I can see them whenever the hell I want to"

"Look at you Emily" Ali held out her hands. "You're a mess. There's no way I am letting my children stay with you tonight"

"Oh so they're your children now" Emily laughed. "I was the one who spent months trying to convince you to even consider starting a family and now all of a sudden you're taking away my right to see MY kids"

"Don't you dare say I'm any less of a mother than you are just because it took me that bit longer to agree with having kids Emily" Alison snapped.

"Oh Please" The brunette shook her head. "You didn't want any of this. You didn't even want me anymore. Things were so bad for so long and when I brought up kids you were happy to make them worse. You were ready to give up on us while I was holding onto every bit of hope we had left."

"Why the fuck are we talking about old shit from three years ago that has absolutely no relevance to any of this Emily" the blonde hissed. "It was a rough patch and…"

"Because It has everything to do with this Alison, that was much more than a rough patch and you know it. Our relationship was turning toxic and a few months ago It was like we picked up right where we left off three years ago. Things just got so bad so fast and I could see you were giving up on us again"

"Really...Your sayi..." Ali trailed off with a chuckle. "You're saying I'm the one giving up on us" she laughed. "I'm not the one who decided to take a trip down memory lane with my ex Emily. You've runined this one all by yourself so don't even think about pinning this on me"

"I know I fucked up okay...big time. But please believe me Ali. I was drunk and…"

"You weren't drunk when you almost kissed her in the teachers lounge now were you?" Ali hissed, folding her arms and clenching her fists together as she did so.

"W..what I.."

"To think you tried to convince me nothing was going on between you two and just hours before that you almost kissed her" the blonde scoffed. "Tell me Emily, would you have stopped if Aria didn't walk in or would you have just kept going"

Emily closed her eyes and swallowed hard. "I..I would have stopped Ali"

"I find that really hard to believe" The blonde chuckled to herself. "You know...Seeing as you decided to sleep with her just hours after you snapped at me for thinking that you would. You try to convince me there's nothing going on between you two and then you crawl into bed with her. I'm sure you loved all that attention, didn't you? You loved giving her what she wanted...what she came here for"

"Ali...shut up okay. Just shut up okay." Emily growled as she stepped closer to the blonde. "Maybe instead of getting pissed at me for sleeping with her you should be asking yourself why I felt the need to…"

"Emily" Toby shouted. "This has gone far enough"

"Oh please" Emily scoffed "I'm just getting started"

"Come on" Toby spoke out as he walked towards the brunette and placed his hands on her shoulders. "It's time to go"

"I said I'm not leaving without the girls" Emily hissed, squirming out of the hold the police officer had on her.

"If you don't leave with me voluntarily I'm going to throw you over my shoulders and bring you out myself" Toby snapped.

"Mommy" Noah rasped from the kitchen door, rubbing his eye with his fist and clutching his Teddy, Franco close to his chest. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing sweetie" Spencer sighed as she picked him up and balanced him on her hip. "Come on let's go back to bed"

"Why is everyone shouting" He asked as Spencer took him out of the room.

Ali walked backwards to the table and sat back into her chair with a deep sigh, rubbing her hands over her eyes.

"Can I atleast see them Alison...please" Emily begged. "Look I won't make a sound, it's just I...I haven't seen them since Friday and I miss them...I miss you."

"You've already woke Noah okay you're not waking them too." Toby spoke in a firm voice. "Ali has had a hard enough time getting Maddie to go to sleep the past few days and if you wake her now she will be up for the night"

"Do us all a favour and leave Emily...Just get out" Ali croaked, standing up from the table with tears streaming down her face as she made her way down the hall to her bedroom to cry herself to sleep. After what Emily said to her there was no way she could hold it in...Not anymore.

* * *

It was a little after 9am on Thursday morning and Ali was standing at the kitchen counter, pouring coffee into both hers and Spencer's takeaway cups. She reached for the cupboard above her and pulled out the sugar dispenser and as she started sugaring one of the coffees, she stared absentmindedly at the spice rack infront of her, allowing her mind to wonder back to one of the worst mornings of her life.

XXXXXXXXXX

 _Just as she was about to drift off a loud bang from the front door made her jump from the sofa. Her eyes widened when she looked up because she was immediately met with Emily's brown eyes, the person that was meant to be upstairs right now, not coming through the front door._

 _The blonde shot up from her seat and looked at her wife with furrowed brows. "W..where were you?"_

 _Emily stared blankly at her wife for a few seconds, allowing a moments of silence to fill the room because she had absolutely no idea how to answer that question. She knew she had to tell Ali what she done, there was no was she would be able to keep a secret like this, especially since she wasn't the only one that knew about it but as much as she needed to tell her wife...she really didn't want to._

 _All Emily could do when she saw the confusion on Ali's face was close her eyes because there was no way she could look at her wife right now, not without thinking about everything she would loose if she told her the truth._

 _Ali stared blankly at Emily, her mind racing as she though of all the places Emily could have been. "Where were you" she shouted, her own mind flustering her as it raced at a speed she couldn't keep up with._

 _"I was...I was out" Emily told the half truth, dropping her head and fiddling with the shoes in her hands._

 _"Where?" Ali asked, her gaze now fixed on her wife. She trailed her eyes up and down the brunettes body and when she noticed her top on backwards she felt her breath hitch in the back of her throat._

 _Emilys heart rate began to increase when she saw the blonde eyeing her up and down and all she could do was try her best to explain herself._ _"Ali...I"_

 _"Where the hell have you been Emily? It's six am" Ali snapped, looking at Emily again, this time straight into her brown orbs because there was no way Emily would lie to her if she looked her in the eye. She knew she wouldn't be able to do it if the roles were reversed._

 _Emily stood there, her mouth moving as she searched for words but she couldn't find any...She didnt know what to say. She knew there was no way she was getting out of this. She may not have told Toby what she did but he knew, he knew the minute he looked at her and if Toby was able to figure it out himself, Emily was sure Ali would too._

 _The fact that Emily was not able answer a simple question made one of the horrible thought swirling around in Alison's head become a reality. The blonde swallowed hard as tears began brimming in her eyes and all Emily could think when she looked at her wife infront of her was...She knew._

 _"I'm sorry" was all the brunette could manage to choke out. "I'm so sorry"_

 _"Emily" Ali breathed out. "What the hell did you do"_

 _Emily squeezed her eyes closed found the lump in the back of her throat making it almost impossible to breath. "I...I fucked up"_

 _Alison's face dropped and she felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. She knew exactly what her wife did...but she needed to actually hear it. She needed Emily to tell her exactly what she did or there was no way she would be able to believe it._

 _"What did you do Emily" Ali called out, her voice shaking as she did so. "You need to tell me exactly what you did or I won't be able to believe it"_

 _"Alison" Emily closed her eyes and allowed the hot liquid from her eyes fall down her cheeks. "I can't do that"_

 _"I need you to tell me what you did Emily" she shouted, her voice cracking as a silent tear fell from her face._

 _Emily closed her eyes and bit down on her bottom lip as she shook her head furiously. There was no way she could tell Alison what she did, the fact that the blonde already knew made no difference. There was absolutely no way Emily could put into words what she had done after she stormed out last night._

 _"I need you to tell me right now what was worth ruining over six years of marriage" Alison rasped._

 _The brunette felt her heart break at the blondes words because they were true. She had ruined her marriage...possible beyond repair and she hated herself for it._

 _"Emily" Alison yelled. "We're not leaving here until you tell me. We can stay here all day if you want to I just need you to tell me what the hell you did."_

 _"I slept with her" Emily blurted out. "I slept with Paige"_

XXXXXXXXXX

Spencer walked towards the table, tossing two files and a pile of loose sheets into her bag. She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and looked down at it but her eyes quickly trailed over to the blonde at the counter to see she was still sugaring the same cup she was a few minutes ago.

"Ali" She called out as she put her phone down on the island and began walking towards the blonde. "Alison are you okay" she nudged her friend, finally breaking her from her thoughts.

"Hmm?" Ali shook her head and looked up, still absentmindedly pouring sugar into the cup.

"It think there's enough sugar in that" Spencer chuckled softly, nodding to the oversugared cup infront of her.

"Shit" Ali whispered, finally pulling the dispenser away to see almost a pound of sugar in the overflowing cup. The blonde wiped the coffee that had spilled out onto the counter and took a shaky breath. "Sorry" she sighed. "I...I'll get some sugar after I drop the kids off"

"Its okay Ali" Spencer said softly, placing a reassuring squeeze on the fragile blondes shoulder. "Don't worry about it" she smiled.

Ali swallowed hard, the memory of that morning still burning a hold in her heart. She hated Emily for what she did and she hated herself for letting it happen. She couldn't help but blame herself for everything, especially after what Emily said on Monday night. When she saw things were getting hard again she didn't try to stop it, she let them and when she did finally want to fix everything it was too late. If only she had given the brunette a chance to explain herself. if only she had been the one to leave that night and not Emily. If only things were different.

Spencer noticed Ali falling into another trance and cleared her throat, quickly earning the attention of the distracted blonde. "Here look, why don't you let me take over here" she suggested.

"Okay" Ali said, making her way over to her squealing daughter and picking her up in her arms. Ellie wasn't happy about being pulled away from the toys she was playing with and threw a mini tantrum as Alison tried to put back on her shoes for the tenth time so far this morning.

"Shit" Spencer muttered under her breath as she looked down at the watch on her hand. "Its nearly nine already"

"You should get going so" Ali called out as the brunette approached and picked up her sandy haired daughter. "I'll take care of things here"

"Are you sure you're okay to drop them?" The lawyer questioned, placing a kiss on her daughters forehead and wiping the butter from the corner of her little mouth.

"Yeah Spence, it's not problem" Ali smiled, standing up from the chair and taking Haven from her friend.

"Thanks" Spencer called back as she made her over to the counter and swung her bag over her shoulder. "Oh yeah, Ali" she looked over to the blonde.

"Hmm?" Ali questioned while she sat Haven down on the playmat next to her daughters.

"If Noah tells you he feels sick in the car, don't take any notice. He's pulled that stunt twice on the babysitter so far this month and got away with it each time"

"Okay" Ali chuckled just as Toby walked through the kitchen door with his son in his arms.

"Ill see you after work" Spencer smiled as she placed a kiss on Tobys lips. "Be good for Ali okay" she widened her eyes to the little brunette in her husbands arms.

"Kay Mom" he grinned as he placed a kiss on her cheek. "Love you"

"Love you too sweetie" she smiled back, making her way out through the door with her keys and coffee in hand.

Just as Spencer rushed out the door Hanna, Caleb and Evie walked in, Evie of course misbehaving for the stressed out blonde she was pulling through the kitchen towards the toys.

"Caleb" Noah yelled as he ran towards his uncle.

"Hey buddy" Caleb chuckled, gratefully accepting the hug his nephew pulled him into as she ruffled his brunette hair. "You ready to go" he asked Toby. "I have a meeting with the cyber team at ten so I need to be at the station soon"

"Yeah just give me a minute" Toby called out as he made his way over to Haven. He picked her up and smothered her in kisses before making his way over to his son and doing the exact same thing.

"Ali" Toby called out to the blonde sitting at the dining room table with Madison in her arms, her eyes fixed on the view out the kitchen window. "Alison" Toby sang, breaking the blonde from yet another trance she had falling into.

"Sorry, what?" Ali shook her head.

"Thanks for dropping them" he smiled as he put his jacket on.

"Oh yeah, No problem" Ali smiled back. "It's the least I can do"

Once Toby and Caleb left for work, Ali and Hanna sat at the dining room table. Ali watched her daughters playing in the corner of the room with their cousins but she quickly darted her eyes to the table when she saw her blonde friend reach her hand across the table and take her coffee.

"What are you doing?" Ali furrowed her brows.

"I'm takind a sip of your coffee" Hanna mumbled into the cup pressed against her lips.

"Coffees not good for the baby" Ali stated with a sneaky smile on her face.

"See" Hanna raised her finger. "Caleb said that too, BUT...according to whatever article I read online, it said that one cup of regular coffee a day is perfectly fine...atleast until I start breastfeeding and right now i'm not breastfeeding so i'm going to take a few sips of your coffee and hope it fuels me to put away the huge delivery thats coming in Today."

Ali looked down to Maddie on her knee, allowing a deep sigh to escape her lips. "Look, I'm sorry I completely bailed on work the past week"

"Hmm" Hanna mumbled, shaking her head as she swallowed the coffee in her mouth. "Don't apologise Ali, take as much time as you need okay. Pam called me this morning anyway and said she will be in after lunch to help with the delivery so we will be done sorting through it in no time"

"Oh god" Ali dropped her head back. "Pam...Please dont tell her anything about whats going on, okay"

"Dont worry, I wont" Hanna held up her hands. "I'm not Aria" she huffed with an eye-roll.

"Why are you still pissed at Aria" Alison sighed. "She did the right thing by telling me"

"Yeah, but I can't help but think that maybe if Aria had minded her own business you and Emily wouldn't have got in that fight" hanna trailed off with with a deep sigh. "And then maybe Emily wouldn't have stormed out and slept with her ex"

"But she did Hanna, and if Aria hadn't told me about Paige we would have found something else to argue about...and I would probably still be sitting here with my heart shattered into a million pieces." Ali looked down to the wedding ring she was somehow still wearing and swallowed hard. "Seriously okay, just give it a rest with Aria. I don't blame her"

"Okay, I will" Hanna widened her eyes, watching the pissed off expression appear on her friends face as silence took over. "Anyway..." the blonde cleared her throat. "Have you heard anything from Emily?"

"Nothing since Monday night" Alison said. "But really, that's a good thing"

Hanna rolled her eyes and huffed loudly. "I can't believe she did what she did and now she's an absolute mess and expecting YOU to hold everything together."

All Ali could do when she heard Hannas words was nod. It was still so hard to believe that her wife actually did that to her.

"Are you going to send the twins over to her tomorrow? It's her night with them isint it?" the blonde asked, breaking Ali from her gaze on her daughter.

"Maybe" Ali sighed. "I might just call over myself, see what state she's in before I give them to her. I need to get some more clothes anyway, i've been wearing Spencers all week"

"Well one of us is going with you" Hanna stated as she stretched her arms high above her head and yawned.

"I think it's better if I do it myself Han" Alison said.

"Can I atleast drive you" Hanna asked. "I could be like...I don't know, Moral support?"

"Sure" Ali rolled her eyes jokingly and curved her lips into a small smile. "You can come for moral support."

Hanna smiled to Ali and then widened her eyes when she pressed the home button on her phone and saw the time. "Shit" she whispered. "We need to go, Noah is going to be late for school"

* * *

"Hello" Aria called out as she walked in through the door of the Dilaurentis-Fields household a little after 7pm that night. "Emily, are you home?" She perked her head and looked around the house but couldn't see anyone. She had spent the past few minutes knocking at the front door and had resorted to the spear key under the mat because she figured Emily was purposely ignoring her plea to answer and let her in.

"Emily" she spoke out as she made her way through the living room, scrunching her face in disgust at the sight of all the empty alcohol bottles and stale pizza slices scattered around the coffee table. The petite brunette walked in through the kitchen door and immediately spotted Emily laying down on the dining room sofa, her headphones in her ears and her eyes fixed on the ceiling above her like she was in a super trance. She walked over to the brunette and pulled out her left earphone which caused Emily to flinch and jerk her head towards the petite brunette standing in front of her.

"W...What are you doing here Aria?" she sniffled, pulling the other headphone out and pausing the music she had been listening to which, sure enough was the playlist her and Alison had made with all their favourite songs. "How did you get in?" she asked, sitting up straight on the chair.

"I used the spear key under the mat" the English teacher sighed as she handed it to Emily. "You weren't answering so I figured maybe you were ignoring me"

Emily closed her fist over the key and dropped her head back with a loud sigh, staring blankly at the wall infront of her and allowing awkward silence to fall between them. She didn't even want to look at Aria right now. She knew everything she had done was her fault but couldn't help but think that maybe if Aria hadn't told Ali about Paige before she did...things might be so different. Maybe her and Ali wouln't have had such a bad argument that night and maybe she wouldn't have stormed out and ended up in bed with her ex girlfriend.

"What do you want Aria" Emily spat, running her hand through her ruffled hair.

"First of all" Aria widened her eyes at Emilys tone. "I want to know how long more I'm going to have to cover for you at work. Mr Hackett is pissed that you haven't been taking any of your classes and you dont even want to know what kind of mood he was in yesterday when you didn't show up for the swim meet."

"Did you tell him what I did" Emily asked icily. "You seem to love doing that lately...telling everyone what I did"

Aria swallowed hard and exhaled a deep breath because she figured this was going to come up. She knew Emily was pissed at her for telling Ali and knew there was no way she was going to let it go easily.

"No Emily" the petite brunette rolled her eyes. "I didn't tell Mr Hackett what you did"

"You know I can't believe you Aria" Emily chuckled. "You Tell Ali about Paige working with me before I could and then to make things even worse between us you tell her about the teachers lounge"

"Emily" Aria called out. "Paige was working with us for two weeks and you still hadn't told Ali...What the hell was I supposed to do? Ignore it and wait for Alison to come barking down at my door for keeping it from her"

"Yeah Aria you should have ignored it...you should have minded your own business like I asked you too"

"You know, maybe I would have minded my own business" Aria hissed as she smacked her hands off her thighs. "Maybe I would have kept my mouth shut but Emily when I walked into that teachers lounge and saw you almost kiss her I knew there was no way I could ignore it any longer"

"You didn't give me a chance to explain"

"Because I knew you would have talked me out of it" Aria shouted "Just like my dad talked me out of telling my Mom about Meredith and look how that ended up. There was no way I was letting high school repeat itself Emily and there was no way I was going to just sit around and watch you get cozy with your ex"

"If you hadn't told Alison then she wouldn't have snapped at me that night" Emily growled. "And if Ali hadn't snapped at me then I wouldn't have stormed out and got into bed with my ex"

"Don't you dare blame this on me Emily" the petite brunette shook her head and glared at the brunette infront of her. "You seem to be blaming all you stupid mistakes on everyone but yourself lately"

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?"

"I talked to Spencer" Aria stated with folded arms. "She told me about how you stormed into their house on Monday night and started blaming Alison for everything...bringing up mistakes she made years ago and even going as low as to tell her that she didn't want those two beautiful girls that she has been busting her ass all week to take care of while you've been sitting here feeling sorry for yourself"

"I didn't mean..."

"Whatever the hell is going on in that pretty little head of yours Emily" Aria held her hand up to the brunette to stop her from talking. "You need to figure it out and a just a word of advice...Get your shit together because Ali isn't going to wait around for you forever."

Emily exhaled a deep breath as Aria stood up from her chair and made her way towards the kitchen door. "And while your at it Emily" she called back. "While you're getting you're shit together do me a favour...Call Mr Hackett and explain to him what's going on with you and why you're not showing up to work because I'm sick of doing it"

"You really think I care about my job right now" Emily laughed. "Please...loosing my job is the least of my problems."

"Well, I hate to break it to you but Paige has been more than happy to take over all you swim classes all week. Mr Hackett has been gloating to everyone about how great it is to have someone who trained Olympians train his students and I really don't think he'd take a second look if he had to replace you with her"

Emily shook her head and rolled her eyes at Aria. "Well he can shove that job up his…."

"Emily I don't want to hear it okay" Aria shouted. "You need to take one good look around you because I don't think you have any idea of how big a mess you're after making...and if you think Ali is going to forgive you that easily then you're mistaken. I don't even know if she will because if it was me, I know I wouldn't... I definitely wouldn't"

Emily sat on the chair and tensed her body at the loud slam from the front door as Aria stormed out. She slouched back into the chair and put back on her head phones. The song that came on was enough to make the tears she had been holding back fall out of her eyes because that song was hers and Ali's all time favourite….'Heaven' by Bryan Adams.

* * *

On Friday night Emily tapped her foot nervously on the floor as she sat at the kitchen island, her gaze held on the glass of icy cold water infront of her. She had done a lot of thinking last nigh after Aria called over and finally decided to do exactly what the petite brunette had told her to...she pulled her shit together. She knew she still had a lot more work to do but atleast she made a start. After Aria had left, Emily pulled herself up from the couch and finally managed to clean up last Friday nights stale and mouldy dinner, she emptied all the open alcohol bottles down the drain, she threw herself into the shower and went to bed early, although her mind was to full to sleep and she hadn't actually dozed off until well past 3am.

The brunette had spent the week distancing herself from Alison because she felt it was best for everyone. She couldn't risk going near the blonde because she knew she would say something to make everything worse, just like she had done on Monday night and even though she missed her kids like terrible, and this had been the longest she'd ever gone without seeing them, Emily knew she was on no state to take care of them...Until now.

The brunette felt so sorry for what she had done, and then on top of that, how she had acted on Monday night. She had been the one to fuck up everything, yet she was also the one to have a complete breakdown and spend the week in a vegetative state. Aria's tough love talk last night had just opened Emilys eyes, she knew things had to change, that she had to change and _if_ she ever had a chance at getting Ali back she needed to pull her shit together. She needed to push whatever was going on in her head aside and make things right.

Finally breaking from the trance she had put herself into, Emily leaned forward and took a sip of the glass of water in front of her. She stood up and straightened out her clothes...She had dressed to impress tonight, putting on her brand new beige shirt with a pair of black, tight skinny jeans and of course Ali's favourite...her black heels. She had even put on some make up and curled her hair...she was trying, which is the most she had done all week.

The brunette reached forwards for her car keys and threw her handbag over her shoulder, ready to go get her little girls for the weekend. Her whole face lit up when she heard the doorbell ring and her first though was that it was Ali but when she made her way out through the living room and swung the door open the person on the other side was definitally not her wife.

When Emily saw who was standing on the other side of the door she immediately closed it but before she could the person wedged their food inside, keeping the door open just enough for her to talk to the brunette.

"What the hell are you doing here Paige?" Emily hissed.

Paige pushed through the door and immediately closed it behind her. "Emily...We need to talk"

"Get away from me" the brunette spat as she made her way towards the living room, as far away from the red head as possible. "There is absolutely nothing to talk about"

"Why did you leave so early the other morning" Paige asked, pacing in through the room to the brunette.

"We fucking slept together Paige" Emily's face scrunched in disgust. "What did you want me to do? Stick around and give you a good morning kiss"

Paige walked closer to Emily. "We could have at least talked about what happened"

"There was nothing to talk about Paige"

"There is now" Paige sighed. "There is something we need to talk about"

"I don't want to hear anything you have to say...just get out." The brunette spat venomously. "Leave and don't ever talk to me again"

"How much of it do you remember" Paige asked.

"I know enough" Emilys voice cracked just thinking about what she had done that night. "I should have never went back into that bar with you"

"Emily" Paige spoke out as she walked closer to the brunette. "Nothin…"

The key turning in the lock in the front door and the door being swung open made Paige and Emily jerk their heads up in unison, both their faces dropping when they saw the person standing infront of them.

"What the hell" Alison breathed out.


	19. Too Soon To Say Goodbye

**Hello again:)**

 **I know this chapter took a bit longer than the rest but I really wanted it to be perfect before I posted it. To make up for the delay I added an extra scene so I hope you enjoy it!**

 **Please follow, favourite and leave reviews because they make my heart happy:)**

* * *

 **Chapter 19: Too Soon To Say Goodbye**

"Hey" Spencer smiled from her spot at the kitchen counter as Alison walked towards her, the smile on her face quickly disappearing when she saw the rage and anger on the blondes face. "What happened?"

"That BITCH happened" Alison growled as she stormed past the brunette and down the hall to her room.

"Could you maybe elaborate on that?" Spencer called out but the only response she got from the blonde was the loud slamming of the bedroom door.

Hanna sauntered in through the kitchen moments later, her eyes widening as she folded her arms infront of her chest.

"I presume that went a lot worse than expected" Spencer raised her eyebrows.

Hanna blew out air from her cheeks and ran her hand along her forehead. "Just a heads up. There may or may not be cops knock on the door later on to arrest Ali for assault"

* * *

"Alison" Spencer knocked lightly on the bedroom door and peeked her head inside. "Are you okay?"

"No" Ali rasped, tears rolling down her face as she hugged her pillow close to her chest. "No I'm not okay"

Spencer walked closer to the blonde and sat on the corner of the bed, rubbing small circles on her back as she sobbed into the pillow. "You want to talk about it?"

"Not really" Ali cried.

"Hanna got a phone call and kind of just...took off" Spencer sighed. "All I know is that you hit her pretty hard"

"You could say that" Alison sniffled.

Spencer's gave the blonde a small smile and she pushed a strand of damp hair behind Ali's ear. "So are you going to tell me what happened or let me fill in the blanks myself?"

Alison sat up straight in the bed, using the sleeve of her top to wipe the tears from her cheeks as she hugged her knees close to her chest.

"I walked inside" the blonde started off with a shaky breath.

XXXXXXXXXX

" _What the hell" Alison breathed out, her whole body freezing when she saw Emily and Paige standing infront of her._

" _Ali" Emily widened her eyes. "This is not what it looks like."_

" _Then what the hell is it Emily" the blonde raised her voice as she walked further into the living room._

" _I..." Emily trailed off with a deep sigh. "I though it was you so...so I answered the door"_

 _"The last person I expect to see you with is standing right beside you" Alison chuckled in disbelief, smacking her hands off her thighs. "God, you're just full of surprises lately! Arent you?"_

" _I just wanted to talk to her" Paige butted in, cutting the brunette off before she could even start speaking._

" _Are you dressed up for this bitch" the blonde questioned, completely ignoring Paiges words as she looked Emily up and down. "Are you two going on some kind of sick date?"_

" _No" Emily exclaimed. "Ali...I got dressed up for you"_

" _I'm sure" Alison narrowed her eyes. "What? You two didn't get enough of each other last Friday night. You just had to come back for more Paige, didn't you?"_

 _"Just let me explain" Paige walked closer to the blonde._

 _"Get the hell away from me" Alison spat. "I don't want to hear anything you have to say"_

 _"Alison, Please calm down" Emily held out her hands to the blonde._

 _"Oh, so now you're defending her" Ali scoffed nastily._

 _"Please believe me" Emily begged. "I had no idea she was going to show up here"_

 _"Save it Emily" Alison glared at her wife. "I don't want to hear it, I dont want to hear your voice anymore"_

 _"I just came here to talk to Emily" Paige blurted out "And now that you're here I can talk to you too...about that night"_

 _"I'm sorry but I don't need all the details on you jumping into bed with my wife you homewrecker" The blonde hissed as she turned around and made her way towards the front door. "I hope you two have a happy life together""_

 _"Alison" Paige yelled as she gripped onto the blondes shoulder._

 _Ali ripped her shoulder away from Paige's grip which led the red head to yank back the piece of blonde hair that was tangled in her fingers._

 _"What the fuck" The blonde spat through gritted teeth as she turned around to face Paige. "You whore, I swear to god I will..."_

 _"Stop" Emily yelled, finally earning the attention of the two women infront of her._ _"Please dont do this" She begged her wife when she saw the rage in her eyes as she went head to head with Paige._

 _"You know what" Paige scoffed to the blonde, her fists clenching at her side. "You're not worth it. You're not worth anything and all that anger right there is exactly why Emily ended up in bed with me"_

 _Alison exhaled deeply through her nose, her blood boiling and her face reddening in anger as she watched Paige make her way out through the front door. "Get back here" she yelled as she ran after her._

 _The blonde reached forward and pulled the red head back by the hair before she could make her escape down the steps which is when Paige turned around and pushed all her body weight against Alison. Ali clenched her fist toghter and slammed it straight into Paiges face, leading the red head to fall to the floor with a loud thud. The blonde then lounged forward to have another go at her but Emily pulled her back before she could._

 _"Alison" Hanna yelled, running from the car to the blonde and gripping her at her waist. "Stop it"_

 _"Just leave me at her" Ali shouted as she squirmed out of the hold Emily and Hanna had on her._

 _"No" Hanna raised her voice. "That sick bitch is not worth going to jail for"_

 _"Was this your plan all along, Huh?" Alison yelled after Paige as she stood up and made her way down the steps. "Crawl into bed with my wife!"_

 _"You know it crossed my mind" The read head growled, wiping her face with her sleeve as she made her way down the steps. "Right now I'm glad that I succeeded in doing that"_

 _Alison used all her strenght and struggled to get out of the hold Hanna and Emily had on her but it was no use, Paige was already out of sight by the time she got free. A few moments of silence passed before Ali turned around and glared at her wife. She shook her head and huffed loudly, storming down the steps to her daughters in her car. She sat in the drivers seat, her hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles were turning white watching Hanna and Emily arguing at the top of the steps._

 _Ali exhaled a deep breath when she saw her blonde friend approach, her fists clenched at her side and nostrils flaring in anger. She opened the door and looked at Ali. "She wants the girls"_

 _Ali swallowed hard and stared at the brunette a few feet away from her._

 _"Do you want to give them to her?" Hanna asked softly._

 _"I can't really say no, can I?" Ali sighed. "If I do we will just have a repeat of Monday night"_

XXXXXXXXXX

"For What it's worth" Spencer curved her lips into a small smile. "I would have happily joined along and took that bitch out...With cops and lawyers in the family, I'd say we would have had a pretty high chance of getting away with it"

Ali chuckled softly at the brunettes words and stared absentmindedly at the floral pattern on the bed sheets beneath her.

"Well, since my Mom had the kids and Tobys on duty for the night, I was thinking both of us just need a night to relax" Spencer started off. "There's a bottle of tequila in the kitchen calling our names...You want to get drunk with me?"

"I would love nothing more right now" Ali smiled.

* * *

Emily lay back on the living room sofa, Ellie snuggled up at her side and Maddie between her legs. The soft murmering of the TV was heard in the background and the brunette looked down to her daughters, both of them enjoying their bottles and fully intrigued in the movie playing above them. She knew it was well past their bedtime and they should have been asleep about an hour ago but all she wanted right now was to spend a little more time with them. It was the first time she had seen her girls all week and she had missed them terribly.

When Emily noticed Ellie's eyes slowly flutter closed she knew it was time for them to go to sleep so she slowly sauntered up the stairs and into her bedroom, laying the two curly haired brunettes down in the playpen she had set out earlier. She sat there for a few moments, just watching the two seemingly tired baby's now squealing softly and squirming around eachother and she let out a soft chuckle as she stood up from the bed and made her way out to the nursery to get a book.

The brunette stared at the bookshelf, her gaze held on one book in particular and that book just made her heart drop. Great Expeactaions. One of Alison's all time favourites...and of course hers too. Her and Ali had started reading it to the twins during the summer, right before things got hard. It was like a concealed version of their love story. Pip gets Estella in the end...just like Emily gets Alison. Except Pip didn't fuck up his beautiful love story like she did.

She squeezed her eyes closed, trying her best to hold back the tears that had been threatening her eyes since Alison left earlier. She had hoped tonight would go differently, that Ali could see that she was trying but instead it just turned into another fight. Emily didn't think the situation with her and the blonde could get any worse but Paige had suceeded in doing that. After the events of tonight the brunette wanted more than anything to go back to that dark place she had been in last week but right now she couldn't, right now she needed to put all that emotion aside and just enjoy the weekend with her little girls.

Emily covered the one book she couldn't bare to be looking at right now with another, a fairy tale that didn't make her want to curl up in a ball and cry. She reached her hand forward and picked out the first book she saw before making her way back into her bedroom where her daughters were now struggling to lift themselves out of the playpen.

The brunette lifted Ellie and Madison onto the bed, both of them laying on either side of her as she read them the book that their aunt Aria had written for them. Ellie fell asleep before the story ended but Maddie stayed up for a little while longer, enjoying the cuddles and extra attention from her Mama. The one year old snuggled up to the brunettes chest and Emily savoured every moment of quality time with her daughter, running her fingers through the little curls and humming softly until she drifted into a peaceful sleep like her sister.

* * *

On Monday morning a little after 9am Ali sat in her car outside the boutique, her hands clutched on the steering wheel and her gaze held on the view outside the window. She had been up all night with Maddie which meant the one year old was extremely cranky all morning due to the lack of sleep. Alison even had to stay at the daycare for an extra ten minutes to help them calm her down from the mini tantrum she decided to throw when the blonde tried to leave. Once they managed to distract the one year old long enough for Ali to make her escape, she ran over to the pile of squealing kids and grabbed Noah before rushing away to drop him to school on time. Things went from bad to worse when the blonde pulled up outside Rosewood Day. The six year old did exactly what Spencer had warned her he would do, he said he felt sick. He had been very convincing that his "head was going to explode if he didn't go home" and gripped onto his seatbelt so even if Ali tried, there was no way she would have been able to pull him from her car. After a lot persuading and a few fake phone calls to Spencer, she finally managed to get her nephew into school, even though it was over a half an hour late. Her hectic morning was already off to a terrible start and the Alison felt it wasn't going to get much better being in the company of a very hormonal and stressed out Hanna for the rest of it.

Ali blew out a deep breath as she got her bag from the passengers seat and stepped outside her car. She looked straight ahead at the door of the boutique for a few moments to prepare herself because she knew walking inside there was her getting back to normal...Whatever her new normal was going to be.

When the blonde walked through the doors of the boutique she was a little surprised to see Pam near the changing rooms talking animatedly to Hanna, a pile of boxes surrounding them and what seemed like a huge mess for Ali to sort through on her first morning back to work. The two looked in Alison's direction and she put on her biggest fake smile because Pam still didn't know what happened between her and Emily.

"Morning Ali" Pam smiled.

"Morning" Alison chirped, trying her hardest to hide any uneasieness in her voice.

"How are the girls" The older woman asked. "I haven't talked to you since Saturday morning"

Just thinking back to last Saturday morning sent chills down Ali's spine. After she stormed out of the house she ran straight to her car and broke down behind the wheel, tears upon tears streaming down her face as she started the engine and drove off. She just drove as far as she could and sure enough she ended up at the Rosewood lookout point, the place her and Emily had shared so many special moments together and just thinking back on all those moments had sent Alison into a mini breakdown. She sat in her car for what felt like hours, watching the sun rise and looking down on the town she grew up in, the town she found her soulmate in and the town she got her heart broke in. After calming herself down a bit she made her way to Pams house for her daughters, spending the whole drive down there willing more tears not to fall from her eyes and luckily managing to get her kids without the older woman suspecting a thing.

"Are you okay" Pam asked with a concerned face to the blonde who had now gone a shade paler.

"Yeah" Ali breathed out, her eyes moving to Hanna who gave her a reassuring smile "Anyway the girls are fine" she started off as she placed her bag on the shelf next to her and took her phone out, trying to act as normal as possible because now was definitely not the time to tell her mother in law about the events of the past week. "I just dropped them off at daycare"

"Oh good" Pam smiled. "I texted Emily during the week and tried calling her twice yesterday but there was no answer, I just figured you two were busy with the girls"

"Ehm" Ali cleared her throat. "Yeah, things have been really busy lately, Maddie is still teething so we've just been a bit...preoccupied" the blonde paused before she said that word because that was the exact word she used when she tried explaining the messy situation to her six year old nephew.

"Maybe I could take them again this weekend" Pam suggested. "Give you and Emily a break. Maybe you two could go on a date night or something"

Ali swallowed hard at the older woman's words but before she could say anything Pam started speaking again.

"I actually called in to see if ye wanted to come for dinner tomorrow night. A little family gathering before Wayne leaves next week. I know he'd love a family night before he goes and he'd definitely enjoy some quality time with his granddaughters at the weekend"

"Actually..." Ali trailed off with a sigh but cut herself off from finishing her sentance when she saw the hope in her mother in laws eyes. "You know what" she shook her head and smiled her brightest smile to the hopeful brunette. "I'll talk to Emily about it later"

"That's great" Pam beamed to the two infront of her. "Anyway I have to get to work. Give me a call after you've talked to Emily"

"Sure" Ali smiled.

"We're making your favourite" Pam called back while walking towards the door. "Pot roast"

When Pam walked out through the door and was out of sight the smile on Ali's face quickly disappeared. She ran her hand through her hair and blew out breath of air as she turned to face Hanna.

"Well" Hanna sighed. "I don't think you're up for a family gathering anytime soon so what are you going to do?"

* * *

It was a little after 3pm on Tuesday afternoon when Emily pulled her car up outside her house. Over the weekend she had promised herself that she would go into school on Monday and explain her absence...well atleast make up a valid explanation as to why she didn't show up to work for a week but when Monday morning came she sat in her car for twenty minutes and couldn't bring herself to turn the keys in the ignition. She was prepared and ready to leave for work but something was holding her back...that something being the fact that she would probably have to face Paige when she went in there.

After a lot of contemplation the brunette ended up back inside her house, sitting on the living room sofa which is where she stayed until the loud ringing of her phone startled her from the light sleep she had fallen into. Sure enough the person on the other side of the phone was Mr Hackett arranging a meeting for today which was exactly where she had been. The meeting was heated and Mr Hackett didn't exactly let her off easily for not bothering to show up for work. She had told him that she had some family issues going on so he let her off with a warning about making the office aware of these things and told her that she needed to take over her classes first thing Monday morning or they would have to review her job status with the school board.

Emily let a deep sigh escape her lips as she slammed the car door closed and sauntered up the steps to her house. She trailed towards the kitchen and looked into the fridge, searching for something to cure her hunger since she hadn't in fact eaten anything all day. Besides some fruit, milk and baby food the fridge was close to empty so the brunette settled for some baby biscuits in the pantry. She sat at the kitchen island, staring absentmindedly out the kitchen window as she slowly ate the baby rusk in her hand and not long after a knock on the front door broke her from her thoughts.

"Ali" Emily breathed out after she swung the door open "Hey, how ar…"

"We need to talk" Ali spoke out as she brushed past the brunette and made her way into the living room, one daughter on her hip and the other holding her hand.

Relief washed over Emily at the blondes words because a proper conversation is exactly what her and Alison needed right now. "Yeah we do Ali" she sighed. "We really need to talk"

"So I don't know if your Mom called you or not but she's expecting a family gathering tonight, one that I will not be attending for..." she trailed off with a sigh. "Obvious reasons so you're going to have to explain my absence. What you decide to tell them is your own business but I presume your Mom will have questions when she sees we're not living together anymore and I promise you if she asks me, I will answer truthfully, no matter how sick and twisted that truth may be."

Emily stood there, staring blankly at the blonde in front of her as she processed everything she had just heard. When Ali said 'we need to talk' Emily hoped that would be about sorting through their problems and moving forward but she knew that was too good to be true. It would be a while before that conversation would come up, it's even possible it may never come up and as much as the brunette hated to admit it, she knew it was true. Hers and Alison's marriage was holding on by a thread, a thread that was slowly but surely snapping.

The brunette watched Alison walk over to say goodnight to her daughters, placing a kiss on both their foreheads and smiling softly between them.

"Alison..."

"Make sure you have them back to me by Thursday, preferably before 6pm. I want to at least see them before they go to sleep" The blonde stated icily as she stormed past the brunette. "And could you maybe pack more than two pairs of sock this time" she called out before slamming the front door behind her.

Emily shut her eyes tightly at the loud banging that echoed through the house and let out a deep sigh. She gazed at the front door for a few moments before turning around to face her daughters, forcing a bright smile on her face as she leaned down to kiss them.

* * *

That evening Emily made her way to her parents house for the dinner she had been dreading since Ali told her about it earlier. She had seriously considered calling her Mom and telling her that the twins weren't feeling well but as much as she wanted to, she couldn't because it would be really selfish of her to cancel. Especially since she knew her dad was looking forward to tonight, it was a special night because it would be the last family dinner for a while since he'll be leaving next week for 8 months. The fact that it was a special night made Emily dread walking through the door because she could already tell there would be a lot of questions lingering due to Alison's absence. Her answering them truthfully would surely ruin the night and she definitally didnt want that to happen. The brunette didn't know what to do, she didn't want to tell her Mom and Dad what she had done but she also didn't want them to find out from someone else, which was bound to happen sometime soon enough.

Emily parked up outside her parents house to see her dad tossing a bag into the trash can. He immediately spotted them and Emily took a deep breath, forcing a smile as he approached the car. She looked up into the overhead mirror and a genuine smile replaced the forced one when she saw her two beautiful daughters squealing softly between each other, both of them looking adorable in the purple dresses and headbands that their grandparents had gotten them a few weeks before.

"Hello my beautiful little girls" Wayne beamed as he opened the car door, immediately unstrapping Ellies buckles as she grabbed onto the hem of his shirt.

Emily got out of the car and did the same with Maddie, chuckling softly while watching both her daughters beaming in excitement as Wayne squealed happily between them.

Wayne furrowed his brows at his daughter as she made her way around the back of the car with Maddie in her arms. "Where's my daughter-in-law?" he asked.

"She Ehm…" Emily cleared her throat. "She has to work late"

"Awh really" Wayne tsked, a flash of sadness covering his face.

"Yeah" the brunette sighed while they made their way up to the front door where her mom was waiting with just as much of a confused face as her father had.

"Where's Ali" the older woman asked, her arms folded tightly over her chest as the October wind blew gently around them.

"She couldn't make it" Emily said with a sad smile as she made her through the door, hoping the topic of Ali's absence will be forgotten about so she can atleast try to have a good time with her father instead of feeling guilty about her mistake.

"Really?" Pam questioned. "Is she Okay?"

"She's Okay" Emily sighed, putting Maddie down on the ground and fixing the crinkles in her dress. "She's working late"

Pam knitted her brows together and looked at the brunette. "I thought Hanna was closing up tonight. I just called in after I left work"

"Ehm" the brunette trailed off with a shaky breath. "Yeah, She is...Sh...She was but she wasn't feeling well so...Ali covered for her"

"Hmm" Pam mumbled, a suspicious expression taking over her face. "Thats a pity"

"Yeah" Wayne sighed, his gaze held on his two granddaughter playing with the toys he had set out for them on the living room floor. "I'll make something up for her to heat up after work" He smiled. "I know she loves my pot roast, don't she?" He gloated jokingly to his daughter.

"Yeah" Emily chuckled softly. "She does"

* * *

"So" Pam started as she slid her knife across the meat on her plate. "How have the girls been?"

"They've been great" Emily smiled while coaxing Ellie to eat some of the vegetables on her high chair.

"Really" Pam furrowed her brows. "I thought Ali said they've been a bit of a handful this week"

"Oh um...Yeah, I thought you meant today. They've been great today just...a little fussy over the week, you know?" the bruentte chuckled nervously.

Pam widened her eyes and nodded as she looked back down to her plate of food in front of her, her expression giving Emily a strong feeling that she sensed something was up...Mothers always do.

The only sounds heard from the table for the next few minutes was the clinking of cutlery and the babbling from the twins. It was an extremely uncomfortable silence, which made Emily wonder when, where and how she was going to tell her parents what a disappointment she's turned out to be.

"So Are you and Alison going on that date at the weekend?" Pam looked up, finally breaking the silence. "I was hoping to take the twins Friday night, give you two some time for yourselves"

Emily was thankful there was food in her mouth when her mom asked the question because it gave her a few minutes to think of an answer. She didn't know what to say because she knew Friday night was Alison's night and obviously, under the circumstances, her and Alison wouldn't be having a date night anytime soon.

"I don't know" Emily mumbled as she filled her mouth with the glass of water in front of her. "I'll ask Ali about it later"

"That's weird" Pam raised her eyebrows.

Emily looked at her mom, then to her dad who had noticed the tension between them and just sat there stuffing his face with the food infront of him, probably figuring it was best to keep his mouth shut.

"What's weird" Emily chuckled as she took another gulp of water from the glass in front of her, her mouth suddenly feeling extremely dry.

"No it's just I...I talked to Alison yesterday and she said she'd talk to you about it."

"Oh" Emily cleared her throat. "She must have forgot"

"Im sure she did" Pam said as she sat back in her chair and wiped her hands off the napkin on her lap, looking her nervous daughter right in the eye.

"You'll never guess who I bumped into at the grocery store earlier" Wayne spoke out after swallowing the contents of his mouth.

"Who?" Pam questioned curiously as she pierced a carrot with her fork.

"Paige McCullers" Wayne smiled, his eyes trailing over to his daughter who was now choking on the water in her mouth.

"Really" Pam widened her eyes. "Did you know she was back in town?" She directed her question to Emily.

"God it's hot in here" Emily breathed out as she fanned her hands infront of her flushed face. "Can we like...open a few windows"

"Sure" Wayne smiled, quickly standing up and walking towards the front of the room.

"I wonder what brings her back to Rosewood" Pam said to herself as Wayne made his way back over to the table.

"I was surprised to see her but not as surprised as she was to see me" Wayne continued.

"Maddie eat your brocolli sweetie" Emily called out, her voice cracking because of the topic of conversation.

"She had a pretty nasty bruise near her eye" Wayne said to his wife.

Emily slammed her fork on the table, the loud rattling earning the attention of her two daughters, her Mom and her Dad. "Can we not talk about my ex girlfriend at the dinner table...Please"

Pam and Wayne shared a wide eyed look and the group fell into more awkward silence as they all went back to eating their food.

"So" Wayne cleared his throat, figuring it was best to change the topic of conversation sooner rather than later. "How's work going sweetie" he asked his daughter.

Emily let out a shaky breath and closed her eyes, internally wishing she was somewhere else right now because she knew with the questions her parents were throwing at her that she wasn't going to leave this table without telling them what she did.

"It's good okay" The brunette snapped. "God, Can we talk about something other than me"

Wayne swallowed hard at his daughter's tone and Emily immediately regretted her outburst.

"I'm sorry" she sighed. "It's just...it's been a bad week"

"Are you and Alison okay?" Pam questioned, finally asking the one question that had been burning her inside all week.

"No" Emily blurted out "No we're not"

"Why?" Pam furrowed her brows.

"Because..." Emily trailed off with a sigh. "Because we're not Mom"

"There has to be a reason" Pam chuckled.

"Is that why she's not here tonight Emmy?" Wayne questioned.

Emily felt her pulse race and found herself becoming flustered by the questions being thrown at her because she knew there was no way out of it now.

"Did something happen between you two?" The older woman furrowed her brows.

"I messed up?" Emily raised her hands and smacked them on her thighs.

"What do you mean you messed up?" Wayne asked.

"I cheated on her" Emily said in a low voice, felling utterly ashamed of what she had done. "I cheated on Alison"

"What?" Pam yelled. "You...You what?"

Emily dropped her head and sighed, her gaze held on her intertwining fingers. "You heard me"

"You cheated on Alison" Pam shouted in disbelief, so much rage and anger in her tone that soft winging erupted from Ellie's mouth. "Oh my god Emily" the older woman scrunched her face in disguist. "I thought I raised you right. You ruin your marriage by sleeping with a complete stranger."

Emily swallowed hard as she reached forwards and caught Ellie's hand, still refusing to make eye contact with her furious mother. "It wasn't a stranger"

"What? Then who was it" Pam hissed.

"It..." Emily let out a deep sigh, her eyes finally meeting her mothers. "It was Paige

"Oh my god" Pam breathed out. "What were you thinking Emily"

"I clearly wasn't" the brunette spoke out. "I was drunk, I never would have done it if I was sober."

"Wow" Pam scoffed, shaking her head in pure shock. "I just...I can't look at you right now"

"Mom...Please" The brunette called out as her mom smacked her napkin off the table and pushed her chair against the wall. She looked at her daughter one more time before shaking her head and storming out through the dining room towards the stairs, her loud footsteps pounding off the floor beneath her.

Emilys eyes trailed from the dining room door to her dad, who's face wasn't filled with anger, but just pure dissapointment.

"Dad" Emily called out as she lifted Ellie out of the high chair and bounced her on her knee to try to sooth her. "Please don't hate me"

Wayne completely ignored his daughters plea and stared absentmindedly into the plate of food infront of him. He sat there for a few moments just taking everything in before wiping his mouth with his napkin and slowly standing up from the chair.

"Please" Emily breathed out but he was already on his way towards the stairs, his footsteps a lot lighter than Pams, but still loud.

* * *

Emily drove around for hours after the terrible dinner at her parents house and was sure enough to find herself at the lookout point over Rosewood, hers and Alisons spot. She sat on the bonnet of her car, gazing out at the town of Rosewood while allowing her mind to flood her with memories of her and her wife. She turned her head around and looked at her two daughters sleeping soundly in their car seats, Ellie gripping onto the hem of her blankie and of course Iggy clutched tightly to Maddies chest. Just looking at those two little angels made a small smile replace the sadness in Emilys face because she knew that no matter what, she will always have her daughters.

It was just passing 9pm when Emily finally pulled up outside her house. She felt relieved, but somewhat worried when she saw her dad sitting peacefully on the steps, his gaze held on the night sky above him.

"Dad" Emily called out as she stepped out of the car, furrowing her brows when she looked at him all dressed up in him uniform. "What are you doing?"

The older man stood up and threw his camouflage backpack over his shoulder before walking towards her. "We need to talk"

"Yeah" the brunette sighed. "I guess I got some explaining to do"

Wayne slowly nodded his head and then looked over to the car. "Are they sleeping?"

"Yeah, they've been out for a while"

"Let me help you get them to bed" Wayne said, placing a gentle squeeze on his daughters shoulder.

Emily and her father quietly made their way upstairs to her bedroom and carefully placed the two sleeping babies down in the playpen. The brunette watched from the door as her dad leaned over and ran his hand gently over their little cheeks before blowing them a kiss, his lips curving into a sad smile when he watched Ellie wrap her hand further around Maddies chest. He stood up and looked down at the twins for a few more seconds before trailing his eyes to his daughter and walking towards her. "They look just like you when you were a baby, you know that?"

Emily curved her lips into a small smile, her heart breaking at the sadness visible in her dads eyes. They made their way outiside the bedroom and Wayne closed the door behind him, both of them just standing there and allowing silence to take over.

"Are you..." Emily trailed off with a shaky breath, her eyes fixed on her dad's army uniform. She knew what him wearing it meant and she hated that she ruined their last night together, just like she managed to ruined everything else in her life.

"Yeah" Wayne sighed. "We were going to tell you at dinner today. They called me in a few days early. I just came to say goodbye to my granddaughters...and of course to you Emmy, who I love no matter what"

Emily shut her eyes tightly, silent tears streaming down her cheeks as she gratefully accepted the warm hug her father pulled her into. Goodbyes to her dad were always hard, but for some reason this one felt impossible.


	20. Meet Me Halfway

**Hello again:)**

 **So sorry for the wait. I was hoping to get this chapter up on Sunday but my week started off a little busier than expected and I couldn't find much time to edit. I'm a little busy for the rest of the week with some exams so I mightn't get the next chapter uploaded until late next week. One of the scenes in this chapter is inspired by a calzona scene in Grey's Anatomy so I hope some of you Grey's fans like that:) This chapter is set about two weeks after the last and takes place during the build up to thanksgiving so I hope you enjoy. Thanks you all so much for the reviews and messages. Keep them coming because they're really are appreciated:) Also, if you have any suggestions for this story or any ways you think I can make it better just leave a review or message me:)**

* * *

 **Chapter 20: Meet Me Halfway**

It was just passing 3pm On Friday afternoon when Ali walked down the street towards the boutique, a large paper bag in one hand and a cup holder with a coffee and iced tea in the other. She paused traffic lights when she heard her phone chime in her pocket and immediately took it out to check if it was Sally from the daycare with an update on Ellie.

Ellie had contracted a bad stomach bug a little under two weeks ago and had even missed out on Halloween she had been so sick. She spent it snuggled up on the chair watching movies with Emily while Alison went around trick or treating with Maddie in her adorable pumpkin costume. Ellie had gone back to daycare on Tuesday but had been so cranky this morning that Ali had feared the one year old still wasn't 100% recovered. When she got to the daycare she was strongly considering taking her fussy daughter back home but Sally had assured her that she would keep her updated and call her if Ellie got worse.

The blonde looked down at her phone but stuffed it into her back pocket when she saw the text was just from Emily. She then let out a soft sigh as she crossed the road and made her way in through the doors of the boutique where her blonde bestfriend and business partner was eagerly waiting.

"Ohhh, gimme gimme gimme" Hanna cheered as she walked towards Ali, immediately pulling the paper bag from her grip. "Did you get extra bacon?" she asked as she walked to the counter where she pulled out all four bagels.

"Yeah" Alison answered before putting her coffee cup to her lips and handing Hanna the iced tea in the cup holder. "And there's some mayo sachets in the bag too"

"You're a goddess" Hanna beamed to Ali as she inhaled the scent of her fully loaded bagel. "I've been craving bacon so much lately"

"Ugh, pregnancy cravings" Alison laughed, making her way behind the counter and taking a seat. "Remember my obsession with pickles"

"How could I forget" Hanna laughed. "Pickles and popcorn, pickles and gravy, you literally had pickles with everything"

Ali scrunched her face in disguist. "And now I can't even smell them without gagging"

Hanna took a large bite of her bagel and closed her eyes as she savoured the taste of her well earned late lunch. "Any news on Ellie" She asked after she swallowed the contents of her mouth.

"Last text I got from Sally was at twelve, she said everythings fine so i'd say Ellie settled down after I left"

"That's good" Hanna said before sipping on the straw of her iced tea. "At least now that the bug has passed you and Emily can get back into a proper schedule with the girls"

"I text her last night and told her she could have them tonight and that we're going back to the two days on two days off system" Ali said as her phone chimed in her pocket again. "You could really tell Madison was starting to miss Ellie when she was staying with Emily but I couldn't risk her passing it onto anyone else"

Hanna shook her head at the blondes words and watched her look down to the phone in her hand. "Is that the daycare?"

"No" Ali sighed. "It's Pam"

"Actually, do you know how Pam is doing?" Hanna questioned. "I haven't heard anything from her since the day Wayne deployed"

"She's Fine I guess" The blonde answered. "I mean she called over to Spencer's the other night and asked me how I was doing but other then that I haven't really been talking to her much"

"Caleb said she hasn't really been herself at work lately"

Ali put her coffee cup to her lips and took a sip. "I'm sure she misses Wayne"

"Yeah, it could be that..." Hanna trailed off with a sigh. "Or it could be the fact she now knows her daughter cheated on her wife with her ex girlfriend"

Ali dropped her chin against her chest and swallowed hard.

"Sorry" Hanna sighed.

"No it...it's fine" Ali shrugged her shoulders and reached forward for her bagel on the counter. "I mean...it is what it is"

"Speaking of Emily" Hanna cleared her throat. "Have you two decided which one of you is going to the parents day at daycare next week?"

"That Is just one of the many things we neeed to talk about" Ali sighed.

"Maybe you could talk to her about it tonight" Hanna suggested.

Ali chuckled softly to herself and threw back the last of the coffee in her cup. "I highly doubt that"

"Why" Hanna furrowed her brows.

"Because I don't even think I'm going to go"

"Why not" Hanna furrowed her brows.

"I don't know Han" Ali shook her head. "Can we just...talk about something else. Please"

"Sure" Hanna gave the blonde an understanding smile.

* * *

"Caitlin" Emily called out, her gaze on the clipboard in her hand as she took down the times of some of her swimmers. "Quit messing or I'll keep you back after practice for extra laps"

"Sorry Coach" The teenager stiffled a giggle.

Emily let out a deep sigh as she dropped her clipbard to her side and began sauntering up and down the side of the pool observing her swimmers in the water below. "Come on Ladies, I know it's Friday and we'd all rather be at home right now but I still need you to actually put some effort into it"

"Is Mc McCullers sitting in on practice today." Alex questioned as she hopped out of the water.

"Is miss McCullers standing here right now" Emily raised her eyebrows.

"No" The student answered.

"Then I presume that answers your question" Emily said as she looked over her shoulder to the two laughing students at the corner of the pool. She blew her whistle and widened her eyes to them which they responded to by wiping the smiles off their faces and getting into line behind the rest of the girls.

"Coach" Kyra called out while walking towards the brunette. "I have a cramp. Can I sit out for a bit?"

"Did you eat before training?" Emily questioned.

"Y...Yeah" the blonde answered hesitantly, both her hands cluched on the left side of her stomach.

"Well then no, you can't" The swim coach said firmly. "Maybe that will teach you not to eat before getting in the water next time"

Kyra gave the brunette an exaggerated eye roll and folded her arms infront of her chest as she walked away. "I know you're on the verge of being replaced by a better swim coach and all that but there's no need to take it out on us" she muttered under her breath.

"What was that Kyra" Emily raised her voice.

The blonde let out a loud huff and pulled her goggles over her face. "Nothing"

"That's what I thought" the brunette glared at her student.

The last twenty minutes of practice went by excruciatingly long for Emily. Her students just weren't cooperating with her at all and seemed to be taking advantage of the fact that she was in no mood to deal with them. She had gone back to work a little over two weeks ago, just before Halloween and every day just got more unbareable. Not only did she have to deal with the silent treatment and disapproving looks from Aria, but she also had deal with Paige almost every day since they were in fact working in the same department. Paige had been trying so hard to talk to Emily every chance she got, whether it was staying back after practice to try to start a conversation or bringing her coffee at lunch. She even went as far as to schedule a few meeting for absolutely no reason which Emily had no way of backing out of. After all, it was 'official school business'...well at least that's what Paige liked to tell her.

When the clock finally hit 3pm Emily dismissed her swimmers and made her way to her office to collect her things and leave. She walked in through her office door, immediately gathering up all the sheets scattered around her desk and stuffing everything she needed to bring home with her into her bag along with her keys and wallet. She then picked up her phone from her desk and when she leaned down to turn off the computer she darted her eyes up when she heard a soft knock on the door.

"Miss Fields" Paige greeted as she walked inside, one takeaway coffee cup in each hand.

"DiLaurentis-Fields, Actually" Emily cleared her throat and stood up straight. "And it's Mrs"

"Hmm" Paige nodded. "Sorry about that...Mrs Dilaurentis Fields"

"What do you want now, Paige" Emily sighed, folding her arms infront of her chest.

"I need to talk to you about a student" The red head spoke out as she walked towards the desk and placed a coffee infront of the brunette.

"Oh really" Emily scoffed "About a student"

"Yeah" Paige stated as she took a seat infront of the messy desk.

"And what student might that be"

"Kyra Lewis" Paige took a sip of the coffee in her hands and licked her lips as she swallowed the contents of her mouth.

"Can this wait until some other time" Emily sighed, swinging her bag over her shoulder and looking down at the phone in her hand. "I have somewhere to be"

"I've noticed a huge change in her attendance at swim practice" Paige went on, completely ignoring Emilys question. "I presume you've noticed it too"

"Sure" Emily raised her eyebrows. "She's missed one or two sessions"

"12 actually" Paige stated as a matter of fact as she flipped through the file in her hand.

"Well" Emily widened her eyes, thinking back to everything Kyra did at practice today to get on her last nerve. "She was there today"

"But theres still an issue that needs to be resolved"

"Can this not wait until Monday" The brunette ran her hand through her hair before smacking it off her thigh. "It's not like I can do anything about it now"

"Well not only is she not bothering to show up to practice, she's been skipping English class too. Her grades are slipping and Mrs Fitz is trying to pull her from the team"

"She's my star swimmer" Emily furrow her brows and chuckled softly in disbelief. "Aria can't do that"

"I was thinking maybe we could meet up for a work lunch at the weekend and discuss this further" Paige looked down to Kyra's file in her hand. "It really is a serious issue since her full scholarship to Pepperdine is counting on swimming"

"If you want to discuss school business, then we can do it during school hours okay" Emily's expression hardened.

"Sure" Paige shrugged. "Well then we can have lunch together on Monday and arrange a meeting with her on Tuesday after school"

"Look" Emily held out her hands. "I'll deal with this myself. I am the head coach after all and I was well able to do it before you got here. I'll talk to her on Monday and ask her what's up. There's no need to arrange any meetings or work lunches"

"But it's better if I oversee it" Paige objected. "After all, I was the one that noticed the issue and brought it to your attention"

"Paige" Emily spoke out firmly. "I'll handle it myself"

"Okay" Paige sighed after a moment of contemplation, closing the file and standing up from the chair. "Well I guess that's that sorted then"

Emily nodded and watched as the read head made her way to the door. She walked outside which is when Emily fixed her bag on her shoulder and made her way out from behind her desk.

"Emily" Paige called out, turning around outside the door and peeking her head inside.

"What?" The brunette questioned.

The read head looked down to the floor and cleared her throat. "If you...If you're not doing anything for thanksgiving, you're welcome to spend it with me"

"What makes you think I'm not doing anything on thanksgiving Paige" Emily furrowed her brows. "I do have a family"

"Yeah well..." the read head trailed off with a shaky breath. "I just thought you and Ali were still fighting. I uhm...I overheard Aria on the phone in the teachers lounge talking about you two not living together anymore...Is that true?"

"Thats not really any of your business" Emily scoffed.

"Well...if you change your mind about thanksgiving, you know where to find me" the red head finished before closing the door behind her and making her way down the hall.

Emily ran her hand along her forehead and let out an exasperated sigh as she watched Paige dissapear out of sight. She then looked down to her phone and began typing a text message to Alison.

 **Ali, please show up tonight. -Emily**

* * *

Emily sat on the chair in the waiting room, her foot tapping nervously on the floor and her gaze held on the clock ticking straight ahead. It had been over a month since she woke up next to her ex girlfriend and her and Alison still hadn't had a proper talk about it. The brunette had resorted to the idea of couples therapy after Halloween and after a lot of persuasion Ali finally gave in and agreed to try it. But now that it was over twenty minutes past their appointment time, the brunette was starting to doubt her wife would actually show up.

Emily snapped out of her trance and darted her eyes towards the door when she heard footsteps approach. "Thank god" she breathed out to the blonde as she stood up from the chair. "You came"

Alison walked towards the brunette, allowing a few moments of silence fall over them before she drew in a deep breath. "You know..." she trailed off with a soft chuckle, finally looking her wife in the eye. "I've been wishing I never found out about you and Paige...and that we could go back to our lives, to being happy, except we weren't...Happy. We haven't been happy for a while now and so we do stupid things like jump into bed with our ex's."

"I made a mistake..." Emily's voice cracked as she spoke. "One mistake and..."

"Yeah...I don't think it was a mistake Emily" Ali let out a deep sigh and shook her head. "I've been picturing you screwing that...thing over and over again and I can't think about it or talk about it anymore so I'm not going into that room...but I think you should...I think you need to"

"Ali, please" the brunette swallowed hard. "We're never going to get through this if we dont talk...and I really need to talk...I really need you to do this"

"I know" Alison croaked, her eyes welling with tears as she spoke. "I know we need to, but right now I don't want to...I can't"

"Alison.." Emily whispered.

"Bye, Emily" The blonde rasped, trying her best to swallow the lump caught in the back of her throat as she turned around and made her way back out through the waiting room door, leaving her wife standing there hoplessly.

* * *

On Monday night Ali slouched back on the living room sofa with a deep sigh after a long day watching four kids. It was just passing 9pm and she finally managed to get them all to sleep. Alison had took it upon herself to take over the role of the babysitter since she was on holidays and had spend the past few days watching the kids for Spencer and Toby while they were at work. It was both physically and emotionally draining for the blonde but she powered through it because she figured it was the least she could do, after all Spencer was kind enough to offer her a place to stay through this whole mess with Emily.

The blonde put her feet up on the sofa and scrolled through the TV, turning on an episode of Greys Anatomy and reaching for her dinner on the coffee table, a bag of salt and vinegar chips. She ripped the bag open and immediately dug into the first piece of food she actually had the time to eat all day. About a half an hour later she was startled from the light sleep she had fallen into when she heard the front door swing open, followed by a series of stiffled giggles and shushing. Alison widened her eyes when she saw Toby push Spencer against the living room wall as he took her lips in his own for an immediately heated kiss. She sat up straight on the couch, quickly clearing her throat and thankfully earning the attention of the lovebirds infront of her.

"Sorry about that" Toby laughed, removing his hand from the grip he had on the brunettes backside. "I was just saying goodnight and I uh...got a little carried away"

"Oh no, Dont apoligize" Ali smirked while shaking her head. "I mean, I could like take a walk or blast beyonce on my headphones if you'd like"

"No, its grand" Spencer chuckled as she fixed the crinkles in her skirt. "We had a quickie in the office earlier"

"Spence" Toby widened his eyes and laughed.

"Oh, don't be so embarrassed" Spencer smacked her husbands chest. "Everyone has sex" she mumbled, using his tie to pull him close to her and give him a quick kiss before all three of them made their way out to the kitchen.

"Babe, I'm going to head straight to bed" Toby told Spencer as her and Ali took a seat on the kitchen island. "I'm exhausted"

"Check on the kids and make sure Havens blankets aren't covering her face" she smiled to him as he leaned down and placed another kiss on her lips.

"Will do" he grinned "Love you"

"Love you too" Spencer replied, a wide smile still covering her face.

"Night Ali" Toby said as he made his way towards the kitchen door.

"Goodnight Toby" Ali called out as she watched the brunette man dissapear out of sight.

"Look, Spence..." The blonde trailed off with a soft sigh. "I can move out whenever. Just say the words and I'm gone"

"What" Spencer furrowed her brows as she poured wine into two of the glasses on the table. "Please, Ali. You're welcome her as long as you want"

"Yeah, but I just feel maybe you and Toby might want your privacy back. I mean I've been here almost a month"

"Stop" Spencer held up her hand. "Your presence here is in no way intrusive. We actually would have been lost without you the past few weeks, especially this week with the babysitter being on Holidays and Toby and I really appreciate your help"

"It's no problem" Ali smiled, pressing her glass against her lips and taking a small sip.

"Were they good for you today?" Spencer asked, leaning forward on her elbows with her glass clutched in both hands.

"Yeah, they were great" Ali answered. "Apart from Ellie who decided to throw not just one...but two tantrums from the time Emily dropped them over"

"How did that go actually?" the brunette questioned. "Did Emily say anything?"

"Yeah" Ali sighed, running her fingers through her blonde locks. "She was asking about the arrangements for thanksgiving. If were going to be spending it together or not"

"What are ye going to do?"

"I honestly have no idea" Ali burried her face in her hands and let out an exasperated sigh. "I mean I want to do what's best for the twins, I want both of us to spend it with them but I also dont want it to be ruined by one of us picking a fight"

"Well, when you two do figure it out let me know because I need to know whether or not to invite her to dinner" Spencer said after swallowing the wine in her mouth. "And if she does end up coming, i'll just have to give her a talking to because theres no way I'm letting her ruin thanksgiving by having another one of her hissy fits in this house"

* * *

"Where's Ellie?" A flustered Ali asked as she walked in through the kitchen, running one hand through her hair while balancing Madison on her hip.

"Shes not in the living room?" Spencer furrowed her brows as she stirred the gravy in the pot.

"No" Ali shook her head.

"Ellie" Pam called out, throwing the teatowel in her hand over her shoulder and truning off the heat under the potatoes.

"I could have sworn I just saw her run into the living room" Spencer said.

"That was Maddie" Ali sighed to the brunette. "Ellie bug" she called out as she walked down the hall and peeked into the guest bedroom.

"Is she in there?" Spencer asked as the blonde walked back in through the kitchen.

"No" Ali breathed out. "Come on Ellie, Where are you?"

"She's up here" Pam called out.

Ali dropped her head back and sighed in relief when she heard the older woman's words. Her daughter seemed to develope a love for exploring lately, whether it was around the house or at the park, she always found away to slip out of everyones sight. Like last week for example she managed open the back door and make her way out into the garden, causing panic in the house as they all looked for her, after about five minutes of searching Toby spotted her in the back garden, sitting in the grass playing with an empty watering can.

The blonde walked upstairs and into Noahs bedroom where Pam was smiling down to her granddaughter and Noah, both of them playing with an assortment of dinosaurs and trucks on the playmat.

"Come on Ellie, we need to get you ready for dinner" Ali called out to her squealing daughter. "You too Noah. Put on the clothes your Daddy picked out"

"Come here sweetie" Pam smiled as she picked Ellie up and rested her in her arms, both her and Ali making their way out through Noahs bedroom door and down the stairs to the guest room to get the twins ready for Thanksgiving dinner.

A little over an hour later Pam and Spencer had the dinner prepared, Ali had all the kids ready and everyone was starting to arrive. Hanna, Caleb and Evie were the first through the door, followed soon after by Ezra, Aria and Jane but by the time three o clock came the last guest had yet to arrive, that guest being Emily.

"Whats going on" Aria asked as she walked towards Ali in the living room. "The table is set and they're already starting to take up dinner. Is Emily coming or not?"

"She was meant to be here an hour ago" Ali shrugged her shoulders.

Just as Aria and Alison were talking, the sound of the doorbell ringing made both of them look towards the front door.

"Speak of the devil" Ali sighed.

* * *

Emily inhaled a few deep breasts as she stood outside the door of the Cavanaugh household. She had literally spent twenty minutes sitting in her car before she picked up the courage to start it and make her way here. She had prepared herself for what she was about to walk into and was well aware that this dinner would be far from easy. First of all, her and Ali were going to be in the same room, which hadn't gone down to well the past few times that had happened. Secondly, she was going to have to face Spencer who was quite unexpectedly the only one of the girls who hadn't snapped at her yet for what she done to Ali and thirdly, tonight was going to be her first time seeing her Mom since the day she told her that she had cheated on Alison.

The brunette rang the doorbell and stood back, fixing her brand new top and running her hand through her curled hair.

"Happy Thanksgiving" She said after Toby swung open the front door. The brunette man responded with a half smile before stepping out of the way and gesturing for her to go in.

When Emily walked inside she immediately scanned her eyes around for Ali, who she spotted by the sofa but before she could make eye contact the blonde was already making her way into the kitchen. There was awkwards silence fell over them as Aria, Ezra and Caleb all looked at her, neither of them really knowing what to say or do. The brunette was thankful when Ellie ran into her arms because she didn't have to stand there like a fool any longer.

Emily scooped her daughter up and pulled her into a big hug, which is when Maddie noticed all the commotion and ran over to join in. The brunette held her daughters close to her, swaying them from side to side as they both wrapped their little arms around her neck. Emily savoured every moment of their embrace and knew that moments like these, she will be forever thankful for.

"Happy thanksgiving my beautiful little angels" She smiled to the two little girls wrapped around her neck. "Momma loves you"

"Luv ooo Mama" Maddie squealed.

A few moments later, once Ellie ran off to play with Jane, Emily walked into the kitchen with Maddie in her arms. She immediately spotted her mum at the counter and knew that the day wouldn't pass without a serious kick in the ass from her.

"How nice if you to join us Emily" Pam spoke out, her eyes fixed on the watch around her wrist. "We were about to eat dinner without you"

Emily swallowed hard at her mom's words and watched her go back to taking up the dinner with the assistance of Spencer and Hanna, both of who were giving each other a knowing, wide eyed look.

Emily moved her eyes to the kitchen island where Ali was standing. Her blonde locks falling onto her shoulders and her tight jeans hugging her curves in all the right places. Alison's beauty almost took Emilys breath away and she found herself making her way towards the blonde only to be stopped in her tracks when Ellie ran up behind her and pulled the hem of her shirt to be lifted up again just like Maddie.

* * *

"Have you Ehm..." Emily cleared her throat. "Have you heard anything from Dad?" Emily asked her Mom, trying desperately to start small talk with someone at the table so she wasn't sitting there like a complete idiot.

Pam chewed the food in her mouth and took a sip of water before answering. "I haven't spoke to him since last week" she sighed. "You?"

"No I Ehm...I haven't heard anything since he left"

Pam nodded at her daughters words and went back to eating her food as the group conversed around the table.

"Em" Noah sang from his chair next to Toby.

"Yeah buddy" Emily smiled.

"How come Ali and Ellie and Maddie lives with us and you don't?"

Emilys face dropped at her nephews words and she looked around at everyone, all of who were now staring at her and waiting to see what kind of an answer she would come up. Emily internally wished her nephew hadn't said anything because despite the extreme awkwardness, dinner so far had gone a little better than anticipated and the brunette knew her answer to this question would surely light the fire at the end of the dynamite stick.

Pam noticed her daughter stuttering and moving her mouth, trying to fing the right words to answer the question so she butted in with a creative answer of her own.

"Emily has been a little busy taking care of some business at work lately" she smiled to the six year old.

"But she was…" the six year old went on only to by interrupted by his father.

"Come on buddy" Toby placed his hand on his sons back. "Eat up your vegetables, they'll make you nice and strong"

"I'll have muscles like you daddy" He grinned earning laughter from the group.

"Anybody for a refill" Toby smiled while standing up from his chair, taking a fresh bottle of wine from the middle of the table and walking around to everyone who held their glasses up.

The brunette man began filling Pam and Spencer's glasses and then moved down to the top of the table where Emily had her glass held out. She had originally planned to stick with water for the night but with with the rate this dinner was going she figured she was going she needed something stronger to help her get through it. Toby stared at Emily for a few moments and sighed, as if he was silently telling her that it was better for everyone if she didn't start drinking right now.

Emily cleared her throat and moved her eyes to Ali, who was now looking at her for the first time all night. "You know what, I'll stick with water"

Toby widened his eyes and smirked when he moved to Hanna and hovered the bottle of wine around her face. Hanna jokingly glared at him and he just pulled the bottle away and sniggered in response.

"That's the second time you've teased me today with wine" Hanna held her hands out while everyone except Emily laughed.

"Only a few months to go Han you'll get through it" Pam chuckled.

"It won't be long going by" Aria smiled.

"A few more months for what" Emily asked, extremely confused at the conversation going on between Hanna and the others.

"Until baby number 2" Caleb beamed.

"Wait…What?" Emily widened her eyes. "You're pregnant?"

"Ehm...Yeah" Hanna chuckled softly.

"You never told me you were pregnant" Emily laughed. "How long has this secret been out in the open"

"I don't know" Hanna shrugged her shoulders. "A few weeks, since before Halloween"

"Why am I only finding out about this now when everyone else has knows for weeks" Emilys face fell, the tone in her voice making it clear that this annoyed her.

"We haven't exactly been talking lately Emily" Hanna stated. "I just figured you'd hear it from someone else"

"The only people at this table that have actually been talking to me lately is the twins and their vocabulary isn't yet advanced enough to tell me that their aunty hanna is pregnant"

"Okay Emily" Pam spoke up. "Maybe that's enough. Hannas pregnant okay, now you know"

"But..." Emily protested only to cut herself off when she saw the wide eyed look her mom was throwing at her. She sighed as she picked up her fork and began playing with the food on the plate infront of her. "I just wish you could have told me sooner. You know, when you told everyone else"

"So did you watch the game on Sunday?" Ezra broke the awkward silence, taking it upon himself to change the topic.

"Yeah" Caleb sat up straight on his chair and cleared his throat. "It was a well deserved win"

Ellie leaned forward in her highchair and reached both her arms forward, swiping them across the table to try to get the glass of water, unbeknownst to Emily who was sitting next to her while conversation continued between the group. The one year old held the glass up to her mouth and tossed it back so water spilled down her cheeks and onto her clothes. The cold sensation of the icy water made her flinch and drop the glass onto the floor, resulting in a loud shattering sound which got everyones attention.

"Shoot" Emily turned to face her crying daughter and lifted her up in her arms as she stood up and pushed her chair up against the wall.

"Here, hand her to me" Alison held out her hands across the table.

"No, its fine Ali I have…"

"Give her to me Emily" the blonde spoke out. "I'll go get her changed. You stay here and clean up the mess she wouldn't have made if you were watching her properly"

Emily handed her screaming daughter to the blonde and watched as she made her way out of the dining room to the guest bedroom at the end of the hall. She then moved her eyes to the table, observing the looks shared around the table.

"The mop is in the broom closet" Spencer widened her eyes as she took a sip of wine. "Make sure you get up all the glass incase any of the kids cut themselves"

"Here look" Toby stood up from the chair. "I'll help you"

"No Toby it..." the brunette trailed off with a shaky breath. "It's okay, I got it"

* * *

"It's okay sweet girl" Ali cooed to her winging daughter on the bed as she undressed her out of her soaking wet clothes. "Shhhh, it's okay" she said as she reached forward for the fresh diaper on the foot of the bed.

After drying her squirming daughter off and changing her into a clean dress, Ali sat her in the playpen and made her way into the bathroom to wash her hands after the poopy diaper she was faced with.

The blonde leaned both hands against the sink and inhaled a deep breath while looking up into the mirror. She stared at her reflection for a few moments before turning on the tap and pumping some soap onto her hands. She began wringing her hands together under the water but suddenly froze, looking down to the rings on her ring finger, the engagement ring that Emily had surprised her with on top of the Eiffel Tower, the wedding ring that had been placed on her finger the day of their wedding and the promise ring that Emily had got her all those years ago. She honestly couldnt even figure out why she still had those rings on because they no longer meant anything. All those promises, hopes and dreams that came with those rings were ruined, they no longer meant anything and she knew the only reason they were still on her finger was becasue she was in denial. She didnt want to believe what Emily had done, she never though her wife would do something like that and her keeping those ring on was really just her way of holding onto hope that her and Emily could get through this, but that's all it was...hope because Ali knew it would be a long time, maybe even never before her and Emily got through this.

Alison let the tap run under her hands as her mind started to wonder. She thought back to the night she proposed the Emily at the kissing rock, the night Emily surprised her with an engagement ring of her own on top of the Eiffel Tower, the night in Malibu a few months ago when they got drunk and had sex on the beach and then finally, the night the brunette stormed out of the house and ended up in bed with her ex. That image that Ali tried so hard to erase replayed over and over again in her head and that was enough for her to pull all three rings off her finger in anger, hurt and disappointment. Her lips began to tremble and she could feel tears welling in her eyes but she took a deep breath and stood up straight, trying with all her might to compose herself and not break down.

The blonde fiddled with her rings for a few seconds while leaving a deep sigh escape her lips and then hesitantly placed them in the cup next to the sink. She turned the tap off and ran both her hands through her hair before making her way out through the bathroom door and turning off the light behind her.

* * *

"But the funny thing is Johnny had absolutely no idea what was going on" Pam laughed to the group.

"You should have seen his face when he walked into the station" Caleb chided in with a chuckle. "It was priceless"

"Why does all the good stuff happen when I'm on patrol" Toby complained.

"You miss all the drama Toby" Pam laughed. "Caleb and I were in stitches at the back of the squad room"

Emily slowly sipped on her water while sitting at the table, letting the conversation between the group just fade into the distance. She knew coming here tonight was going to be awkward but did not expect it to be this bad. She pretty much got the silent treatment from everyone and the only times she did speak you could just feel the tension in the room rising. Emily's eyes darted up when she heard heels hitting off the tiles and she watched as the blonde made her way towards the table and sat back down on her seat, letting Ellie rest on her knees.

"What took you so long? Is Everything okay?" Hanna smiled from the seat next to Alison, placing a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder.

"Yeah, Ellie just...She got a bit fussy" Ali lied, she wasn't going to tell Hanna she spent an extra five minutes sitting on the bed, staring into the distance because of the dread of coming out here to face Emily once again

Loud squeals and screams erupted from Maddies mouth as she smacked both her hands on the high chair, causing her food to splash all over herself and Ali next to her.

"Maddie" Ali widened her eyes as she bounced Ellie on her knees.

"Mommy" Maddie squealed as she pushed her gravy covered hand into the blondes face.

Ali reached for a napkin in front of her and began wiping the smushed food off Madisons hands and face, which is when Ellie decided to reach forward and grab both Alis knife and fork in each hand and inspect them thoroughly.

"Hey" Ali chuckled softly, moving her attention from on daughter to another and pulling the cutlery out of her hands. "Danger mouse" she warned the one year old who replaced the cutlery with a handfull of peas from Ali's plate.

"Here" Emily stood up from her seat and reached her hands out. "Let me take one of them"

Ali sighed softly as she stood up and passed Ellie across the table to Emily on the other side. The brunette smiled to her daughter as she held her close to her chest but the smile on her face quickly dropped when she noticed Alis rings were no longer on her finger. She stood there still with her daughter in her arms for a few moments before the blonde actually noticed and looked up.

"What" Ali widened her eyes.

"You took your rings off" Emily stated loudly, earning all eyes in the room to look at her.

"Ehm" Ali cleared her throat and looked down to her ringless finger. "Yeah I..."

"So thats it" Emily raised her voice. "You decide to just...take off your rings without even trying to fix things between us"

"Emily" Ali looked at the brunette. "Calm down"

"I will not calm down Ali" Emily yelled. "You taking off your rings is basically giving up all hope of us sorting through this.

"The hope of us ever sorting through our problems died when you decided to sleep with someone else"

"Oh please" Emily scoffed.

"Emily" Pam scolded. "Sit down. Its thanksgiving okay I want no arguing around this table"

Emily rolled her eyes and let out a deep exasperated sigh as she took a seat. She looked around her. Spencer and Hanna were widening their eyes to each other. Her mom was glaring at her and the rest were either giving her disapproving looks or just sitting there with their eyes focussed on anything but her. The brunette watched Ali as she swallowed hard, her eyes fixed on the plate of food infront of her and she could just feel how uncomfortable and ashamed the blonde was because she was feeling the exact same way. Emily knew since she arrived that her prescence here was not appreciated by any of them and right now her being here was doing more harm then good. She was better off getting out of everyones way and letting them enjoy the rest of their dinner.

"Look" Emily stood up from the chair and fixed her daughter on her hip. "Im just going to leave" she said as she picked up her bag and swung it over her shoulder.

"Emily" Ali called out.

The brunette looked at the blonde for a few moments before answering. "Yeah?"

"Ellie" The blonde nodded to the one year old in Emilys arms. "Its my night with them"

Emily looked down to the one year old in her arms and planted a little kiss on her forehead before sitting her down in her high chair and making her way through the kitchen and out the front door, figuring it was best not to try give Maddie a goodbye kiss right now while she was so content on Ali's arms.

Ali squeezed her eyes closed at the loud bang if the front door closing. She then pulled her Maddie closer to her chest and gave the top of her curly head a little kiss.

"Well" Ali widened her eyes as she sat her daughter back into her highchair. "That was bound to happen"

Spencer cleared her throat and Pam swallowed the entire contents of her wine glass, all of them feeling extremely uncomfortable and none of them knowing what to say or do.

The blonde shuffled uncomfortably on her chair and took a sip from the water in her glass, swallowing hard as it flowed down her extremely dry throat. "Excuse me" she rasped as she stood up from the seat and made her way down the hall to her room, as far away from the looks of pity as she could get.

* * *

Ali sat on the bonnet of her car, her knees pulled close to her chest as she looked out into the distance. A drive around town to clear her head had turned into a tear ridden reminicing session at Rosewood lookout point. Her mind flooded with memories of her and Emily, from their wedding day to the night they made their relationship official at the kissing rock. Beautiful memories that were just that...memories.

The blonde shot her head around when she heard the crunching off the gravel as a car approach and quickly wiped the tears from her face when she saw Emily get out and walk towards her.

"What are you doing here?" Ali sniffled with an eye roll.

"I called over to Spencer's to apologise for how I acted and she said you went out for a drive to clear your head" the brunette explained, leaving out the part where Spencer gave her a piece of her mind for basically ruining thanksgiving dinner. "I figured this is where I'd find you"

Ali continued to sit on the bonnet of the car and stare absentmindedly into the distance as the brunette walked towards her.

"I really am sorry about today" Emily sighed as she stood infront if the blonde, her arms folded tightly infront if her chest. "It's just, when I saw you weren't wearing your rings it…."

"It what?" Ali chimed in, still refusing to make eye contact with the brunette. "It made your heart shatter into seven billion pieces, huh?"

The brunette swallowed hard and exhaled a shaky breath.

"Yeah" Ali sneered, her gaze help on the view of Rosewood infront of her. "Join the club"

"You know we need to talk about this sometime" Emily broke the silence that fell over them. "You can't avoid it forever"

"I know we need to talk about it" Alison spoke out. "I'm just not ready yet"

"Ali it's been over a month" Emily dropped her hands to her side in defeat. "You have to be ready some time"

"Emily" Alison raised her voice, finally looking into the brown orbs infront of her. "Don't you understand. I don't think ill ever be ready...I dont think I can handle listening to you try to explain what about our relationship made it so easy for you to give to give up on us and crawl into bed with your ex"

"Trust me Ali" Emily's voice shook as she spoke. "I didn't mean it. I really am so sorry and I will be sorry about it for the rest of my life"

"Yeah well, Sorry doesn't cut it"

"Can we atleast make a start on fixing this" Emily took a step closer to the bonnet of the car. "We have kids together and we at least owe it to them to try to sort through this and be happy again"

"I don't think I'll be able to be trust you or be happy with you ever again"

"Well we won't know that until we try" Emily swallowed hard. "I'm trying so...so hard Ali you just...you gotta make an effort...you gotta meet me halfway...Please"

"The only thing I'm going to be making an effort in doing right now is packing up my stuff at Spencer's to move back home."


	21. Consequences

**Thank you so much for the reviews on the last chapter, I think it has been the most reviewed chapter so far! Keep them coming because they really do motivate me to write faster and upload as quick as I can:) I had a few sick days last week and managed to get this chapter written. I was ready to upload it on Sunday night but wasn't happy with the layout so I decided to rewrite over the past few days. It's finally finished so here it is! Enjoy, follow, fave and review:)**

 **Also, For some reason I end up writing a lot more that I plan to and before I know it my chapters go from 3,000 words to 6,000 words. I don't know if that's a good thing or not. Do you think they are too long?**

 **Oh, and another also...the ring scene on the last chapter was very plain and simple so I rewrote it with a bit more detail. Check it out if you want to:)**

* * *

 **Chapter 21: Consequences**

XXXXXXXXXX

" _Are you even listening to me Emily" Ali yelled to the brunette sitting in the driver's seat of the car._

" _I'm trying my best not to but your voice is starting to go through my head" Emily said through gritted teeth, clutching the staring wheel so tight her knuckles were turning white. "Can you please shut up, Im trying to drive here"_

 _Ali forced a breath through her nose before unfolding her arms and slamming both hands on the dashboard infront of her. "Pull over"_

 _"No I'm..."_

" _Pull the fucking car over or I swear to god I'll jump out" Ali turned to face the window, her hand close to pulling the car door open._

" _Stop being so dramatic Ali" The brunette raised her voice, her gaze still held on the dimly lit road infront of her "You'd swear I actually did something bad"_

" _You did" Ali hissed, bolting her body around to face the brunette._

" _God, Alison" Emily scoffed. "I said a few things to Hanna. Big deal"_

" _You were talking shit about me behind my back"_

" _That's because you spent the whole dinner either ignoring me or glaring at me for letting you sleep past your alarm this morning" Emily yelled, her tone now matching her wifes. "One fucking mistake and I spend the day paying for it"_

" _That doesn't give you the right to..." Alisons words were cut off when the brunette slammed on the brakes, causing both of them to jerk forward before falling back into their seats._

" _Shut up Ali" Emily yelled, smacking her hands off the staring wheel and turning around to finally make eye contact with the furious blonde. "I almost crashed the car over you"_

" _YOU should keep your eyes on the road then. You are the one driving_ _" Alison sat back and folded her arms tightly infornt of her chest._

" _And your the one acting like a cranky little child in the front seat of the car"_

" _Your trying to tell me I'm acting like a child when you were the one 'gossiping' to your friend about how annoying I've been the past few days"_

" _I was venting out Ali" Emily rolled her eyes. "Talking to someone who actually listened and didn't treat me like shit helped a lot"_

" _You know what...Fuck you Emily" Ali yanked off her seatbelt, jumped out of the car and slamed the door shut behind her._

" _Get back in the car Ali" Emily shouted out the window as she drove past the blonde._

 _Ali completely ignored the brunettes words and continued to pace down the sidewalk, her arms swinging at her side and her feet pounding off the concrete below her._

" _Alison" Emily called out. "I know it's summer and all that but it's not exactly the warmest night of the year. You don't even have a jacket. Are you really telling me you're going to walk home like that?"_

 _Ali stopped and looked down at the summer dress she had put on this morning. The goosebumps forming on her arms proved Emilys point so she walked around the front of the car and pulled open the drivers door. "You're right" she raised her eyebrows to the brunette. "I'm not dressed appropriately to walk home...but you are"_

" _You've got to be kidding me" Emily laughed._

 _"Do I look like im kidding you" Ali glared at her wife._

" _You know what" Emily unbuckled her seatbelt and gripped the back of her seat with one hand. "Maybe I will walk home" she jumped out of the car and stood infront of Alison. "And maybe I'll treat myself to a drink as well while I'm at it. I need something strong to recover from the day I've had with you"_

" _You do that and you can sleep on the couch for the week" Ali shouted after the brunette who was now begining to walk away from her._

" _That's probably the best thing I've heard all day" Emily laughed sarcasticaly as she continued on down the road._

XXXXXXXXXX

"And that was the first really serious fight you and Alison had?" Dr Evans pushed his thick rimmed glasses further up his nose.

Emily ran her finger along the stitching of the white, suede couch she was sitting on and inhaled a breath of air. She looked up to the brunette doctor in front of her, his notepad and pen in hand as he concentrated on every she said. That's what made Emily so eager to come back to therapy today, the fact that she had someone who was willing to listen to her, willing to hear her out and not judge her for the stupid mistakes she made. She had started therapy right after thanksgiving almost two weeks ago for one reason only; so she could stop telling Alison how sorry she was and instead show her she was willing to try anything to save their marriage, but after her first session last week, Emily had come to realise that she may actually get more out of this than she thought.

After Alison left her in the waiting room of the therapists office before thanksgiving, Emily had considered going in but didn't. Thanksgiving night was just living proof that she needed to do more than just beg for forgiveness from Ali so she set up an appointment with Dr Evans and made sure Alison knew she was starting in therapy. Words seemed to be getting her nowhere with the blonde so she decided to take action. Before Alison could make a start in maybe forgiving her, She had to forgive herself first.

"Yeah, that's the one that stands out to me" Emily spoke up as she clasped her hands together nervously. "There were a lot of little arguments before that but nothing that bad until afterwards" the brunette looked down to the rings on her finger and sighed. "That night, it triggered something. Things went downhill so fast and the arguments just got worse and worse"

"What happened after that fight?" Dr Evans asked. "Did you go home?"

"I went out for a drink" Emily laughed as if it was the most obivious thing in the world. "But when I did go home she was after locking me out so I had to crash at a friends house"

"Did you two talk about it the next day?" he questioned.

"No" Emily sighed. "I left Hannas house early and collected the twins from my moms but by the time I got home she had left for work. She didn't come home until late that night and I was already asleep. We just kind of forgot about it after that because by the next day we were fighting about something else"

Dr Evans observed Emily for a few moments before leaning forward in his light grey armchair and placing his notebook and pen on the table in front of him. He then wrung his hands together and placed both index fingers over his lips. "When you saw things were getting bad, why didn't you try to stop them? Why didn't you try to work things out with Alison?"

"I did" Emily pushed a strand of brunette hair behind her ear. "I tried the night I...I ended up sleeping with Paige"

"But the fights had been going on for weeks before that" Dr Evans shook his head."Why didn't you try sooner"

Emily dropped her eyes to the ground and thought hard about that question. "I...I don't know" she stuttered with wide eyes. "I guess...I think maybe I..." she trailed off with a sigh. "I was afraid we weren't going be able to fix it this time. I mean things got so bad so fast. It was like we picked up right where we left off three years ago and that rough patch was so bad, we barely made it out alive...literally" she looked up to Dr Evans as he listened attentively to what she said.

"Rewind back three years ago, right before the crash" The middle aged doctor sat back in his chair and crossed his legs. "Was it just kids that you two were always arguing about or was it something more?"

"Things just..." Emily looked down to her interlocking fingers and swallowed hard. "They gradually got bad between us. We were fighting a lot" she widened her eyes. "And when I brought up the idea of us starting a family everything just...escalated. The fights, the arguments...everything" the brunette looked up to the ceiling above her and ran her fingers through her brunette locks. "Before I brought up children we would argue about everything and anything under the sun...Then the idea of kids came along and that became the reason behind them all, like almost every argument was triggered by me asking Alison about children"

"Tell me Emily" Dr Evans picked up his notebook and pen from the white table in front of him and narrowed his eyes as he sat back into his chair. "How long had these arguments been going on for...before you brought up the idea of you and Alison starting a family"

The brunette blew a breath of air from her cheeks. "I can't remember really" she looked up to the doctor in front of her. "We were unhappy for a while"

"Give me your best guess" Dr Evans interlocked his fingers on his lap. "A few weeks, a few months, a year?"

"A few months maybe" Emily said.

"In those few months, did you try to fix things then?" Dr Evans asked.

"Yeah, I did...so many times" Emily stared off into the distance. "But Alison would never hear me out. She always brushed it off and told me I was overreacting and if she did actually agree to sit down and talk about it, I could tell her head was somewhere else. It was like so had no interest in saving our relationship until...until the night..." Emily trailed off with a shaky breath.

"Until when Emily" Dr Evans uncrossed his legs and sat forward.

Emily widened her eyes in realisation and let out a deep sigh, allowing herself to be consumed by the obnoxious ticking of the clock on the wall above Dr Evans as a few moments of silence washed over them. "Until the night Paige dropped me home" she breathed out.

"When was this" The older man clicked his pen and urged Emily to keep talking.

"This was...it was about a month before the accident" Emily bit the inside of her cheeks and held her gaze on the table in front of her as she thought back to everything she remembered about that night. "It was the night of my nephews birthday party. Alison and I had an argument and I ended up in a bar which is where I ran into Paige but I couldn't remember any of it. It was Alison that told me about it the next morning and Paige reminded me about it that night in the same bar a few weeks ago"

"So that night, the night Paige dropped you home" the older man ran his hand along his clean shaved beard. "That was a turning point for Alison"

"I guess you could say that" Emily sighed. "I mean after that night, Ali...she was trying. She was actually making an effort. But we still fought, we were still arguing every other night and both of us were just...we were getting tired of it"

Dr Evans looked straight into Emily's eyes and held her gaze for a few moments. "Do you think maybe Paige said something to Alison that night….or maybe you did. Maybe you might have said something to her"

Emily looked at him but dropped her eyes to the box of Kleenex and the bowl of MandMs in the middle of the table infront of her. She remembered back to when Alison was pregnant with the twins and they would share a bag of MandMs on the couch watching TV. Alison would always separate them and take all the red and purple ones for herself, leaving Emily with the yellows and greens.

"Emily" Dr Evans tilted his head. "What are you thinking?"

"I don't know" Emily began answering the doctors previous question about someone saying something to Ali that night and her voice wobbled as she talked. She cleared her throat and looked around the room. "I don't remember much from that night...only the parts Paige told me about a few weeks ago"

"When you first brought up the idea of starting a family to Alison" Dr Evans tapped his pen against his lips. "Did you not think maybe it would have been a good idea to fix your relationship first"

"I did" Emily said.

"You mean you tried"

"Yeah" Emily nodded "But like I said, Alison tried to act as if everything was fine, even though it clearly wasn't" she swallowed hard and sat back further in the chair. "I think that's why I latched onto the idea of children. I...I figured at least if we started a family, we would have a reason to fix our relationship and try to be happy again and it would give Alison a reason to face our problems and stop acting as if everything was okay when it wasn't" Emily trailed off with a deep sigh. "Children do bring people closer together after all and I suppose I was hoping maybe a baby would be the ray of sunshine we needed in such a dark place...but I guess that was only a short term solution to fixing our problems because...look where we are now" Emily chuckled softly to herself in disbelief.

* * *

Ali pulled up outside her house after work that day, her stress levels at their peak after a really long and tiring morning taking care of things in the store on her own while Hanna took the day off for her doctors appointment.

The blonde got out of her car, threw her bag over her shoulder and stuffed her hands into the pockets of her winter jacket as she made her way up the steps to her house, the house that still wasn't even decorated for Christmas. It had been almost two weeks since thanksgiving, which meant almost two weeks since she moved back home. She turned her key in the door and quickly made her way inside out of the cold December breeze, immediately greeted by a large body slumped down on the living room sofa.

"Hey" Ali dropped her bag and keys on the coffee table and nudged the blonde man passed out on the couch. "Come on, Wake up" she walked over towards the window and pulled the curtains open.

The older man hugged his pillow closer to his face and groaned loudly to the blonde now standing in front of him. "What time is it?"

"It's almost four " Ali folded her arms in front of her chest. "Get up, you've slept long enough"

"Just 5 more minutes" He mumbled into the pillow, his eyes still shut closed .

"Jason get up" Ali pulled the pillow out from under his face and forcefully threw it at his body.

"Jeez" Jason widened his eyes as he slowly sat up straight on the couch. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed"

"Yeah well that someone barely got any sleep last night because their brother decided 4am would be an appropriate time to leave an anonymous text message and then ring my phone repeatedly until I gave in and answered it"

"I didn't want to wake the whole house up by knocking on the door" Jason chuckled softly before stretching his arms high above his head and leaving a deep yawn out through his lips.

"Yeah well you scared the crap out of me" Ali held both hands out infront of her, a hint of a smile threatening her lips. "You could have called before showing up here...or at least texted me saying 'Ali, it's your brother Jason, can you answer the door?'" The blonde widened her eyes to Jason, still wondering why the hell he didn't sign off on his messages the night before. Maybe if he had she would have let him in sooner and would'nt have spent the best part of twenty minutes cowered in the corner of her room. "I thought you were..." Ali trailed off with a shaky breath as flashbacks from the A drama all those years ago came tumbling through her mind. She quickly shook her head and brushed them off becasue she wasn't willing to bring back the memories that had haunted her dreams almost every night for years. "I thought you were a psycho serial killer out to get me!"

"I tried calling you last week" Jason told the blonde. "And the week before that" He put emphasis on his words. "You've been ignoring my calls since before Halloween and the only contact we've had has been through text messages so I decided to come see if everything was okay" He pushed a strand of blonde hair behind his ear and smiled to his sister. "I also kind of wanted to surprise you so...Surprise"

"Yeah, well" Alison trailed off with a soft chuckle. "I definitally wasn't expecting you to show up here last night"

"Just like you weren't expecting me to show up at the twins birthday" Jason said, his lips curving into a small smile as he and Ali both thought back to that day at the beginning of May.

XXXXXXXXXX

" _Hey Em" Ali called out to her wife from the kitchen. "Would you get Ellie for a picture please?" She asked as she fixed Maddie's birthday girl hat on her head for the fifth time in the past few minutes._

" _Sure" Emily shoved handful of popcorn into her mouth and then turned around to face the dining room sofa, smiling as she watched Ellie and Evie squealing to eachother on the floor. "Hey birthday girl" she walked towards her grinning daughter and picked her up, the two of them then following Ali and Madison into the living room where Aria was standing with her camera in her hands, ready to take pictures of the birthday girls and their Mommies._

 _"Stand over there infront the fire place" Aria instructed her friends as they walked through the living room. "Yeah, perfect" she smiled before putting her camera to her face, taking it away almost immediately and looking down at it with furrowed brows._

 _Emily and Alison watched Aria struggle to fix the lens on her camera and could only laugh when she continuesly refused help from Hanna and Spencer on either side of her. The blondes eyes moved between her two little daughters, then to her glowing wife at her side. Her heart overflowing with happiness in this moment because of how extremely lucky she was to have such a perfect little family._

 _Emily looked down to her wife and Alison held her gaze for a few moments, smiling her brightest dimpled smile as her head rested on the brunettes shoulder. "I love you" she whispered._

 _"Love you more" Emily leaned down and took her wife lips in her own for a quick kiss._

 _"See!" Hanna widened her eyes to the petite brunette. "I told you, just turn the lens to the right and it will..."_

 _"Okay is everybody ready" Aria cut the blonde off and put her camera infront of her eye. "Three...Two...One...Say Cheese"_

 _"CHEEEEESE" Alison and Emily chanted in unison._

" _Beautiful" Aria flicked through the photos she snapped as Hanna and Spencer looked over her shoulder. "Pam, Wayne" She looked over to both of them standing near the living room door. "Get in there for the next one."_

" _Ohh" Pam handed her glass of orange to Hanna. "Do I look okay?"_

" _Here" Hanna fixed the birthday hat on the older woman's head. "Perfect."_

" _I want a copy of this to frame" Wayne said to Aria as he stood behind his daughter._

" _Of course" Aria smiled._

" _Okay everyone say Tequila" Hanna shouted form her spot next to the petite brunette._

" _No" Aria pulled the camera away from her face and jokingly rolled her eyes to her blonde friend. She then looked to the happy family infront of her and smiled. "Say Family"_

" _Is there room for one more?" a voice called out from the living room door, earning the attention of all the occupants of the room._

" _J...Jason" Ali said in a surprised voice after a moment of silence. "What the...What are you doing here?"_

 _Jason dropped his eyes to the ground and a deep sigh escaped his lips as he fixed the strap of his backpack on his shoulder._

" _Well" Ali raised her voice to the silent man infront of her._

" _Maybe we'll go out back to the others" Wayne suggested, taking his granddaughter from Ali's arms and giving Pam a wide eyed look to follow him with Ellie._

" _I'm right behind you" Hanna paced out the living room door and into the kitchen with wide eyes, Aria and Spencer following closely behind her. All of them wanting to be well out of sight while the estranged brother and sister had a catch up._

" _Go outside and keep an eye on the girls" Ali said to her wife standing next to her, not taking her eyes off her brother infront of her. "I'll take care of things in here" she folded her arms tightly in front of her chest._

" _You sure" Emily stopped in her tracks infront of Alison, continuing on into the kitchen when she nodded her head._

 _Ali glared at Jason and forced a breath through her nose. "Why are you here Jason? It's been what?...6 years?" the blonde narrowed her eyes. "You vanish off the face of the earth after my wedding and don't even have the decency to call or text, yet you actually somehow find the nerve to show up to my daughters' birthday party"_

 _Jason looked down to his intertwining hands and swallowed hard as he tried to form a sentance. "I...I know Ali. I should have called you, I should have stayed in touch"_

" _Well then why didn't you" Alison said in a furious tone._

" _I just...I didn't" the older man replied blandly. "I...I didn't want to mess up your life like like I messed up my own"_

 _"Wow" Ali widened her eyes and chuckled in disbelief at her brothers words. "Did you pull that excuse out of your ass?"_

" _No Ali, I didn't" Jason dropped his head and sighed. "On your wedding day, when I saw how happy you were I didn't want to get in the way of it. I left you because I knew it was better for everyone if I stayed far away"_

" _You stayed away alright" Ali rolled her eyes. "You weren't there when I was almost killed in a car crash. You weren't there when daughters were born and when one of them spent the first week of her life hooked up to machines that were keeping her alive. All the times I needed my big brother by my side, you weren't there"_

" _I know" Jason breathed out, his heart breaking at the hurt visible in his sisters eyes. "Believe me, I thought about coming back so many times but I knew I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did something stupid to mess up your life"_

 _Ali dropped her eyes to the floor and inhaled a deep breath. "Going back to my first question..." She looked up to her brother and a questioning expression took over her face. "Why are you Here?"_

" _Like I said, I have always manage to ruin everything good in my life but I'm tired of living in the shadow of my past mistakes" He took a few steps closer to Alison. "I want a proper relationship with you Ali. These past few weeks have really opened my eyes and gave me a perspective on life. All I'm sure of right now is that I want to be apart of your life again and I...I know it's going to be awhile before you can forgive me...But I just want you to know i'll be here waiting until you do" He swallowed hard as he watched Ali roll her eyes to him but he continued the speech he had been puttitng together the whole plane ride home anyway. "I'll be here for you from now on. I want to be a family. I want to get to know my nieces, to drop them to daycare, to bring them out and overload them with ice cream before dropping them back to you, to buy them clothes and shoes, to be there with you for their first date, their first heartbreak, everything. I want to be the overprotective uncle that embarrassed them in front of all their friends"_

 _"What?" Ali scoffed "Did you get some drug dealers after you and just need a place to lay low for a while?"_

 _"Im clean Alison" Jason looked his sister right in the eye. "I've been clean for years. I'm just home from Haiti. I've been helping build a school over there for children who deserve an education just as much as the rest of us" he smacked his hands off his thighs and sighed loudly. "I've been Helping make a difference in this crappy world"_

" _Jason..." Ali put her hand over her face and shut her eyes closed._

" _Before you tell me to get out" Jason held up his hands as he interrupted the blonde. " I just want you to know that I love you and that I'm really, really sorry for not being there for you. I completely understand if you want nothing to do with me but I promise I won't stop until I prove to you that I'm willing to do anything to be a family again"_

 _Ali looked at her hopeful brother infront of her, her arms still folded tightly infront of her chest as she kept her guard up. There was no way she was going to forgive her brother that easily._

 _Jason knew by the look on Ali's face that he really wasn't selling the idea of him becoming a part of her life so he reached his hand into his back pocket, took out his wallet and looked down at the photo he pulled out of it for a few moments before speaking._

 _"This picture..." he started off, holding up a Polaroid of Ali holding Ellie and Madison out in the back garden beside the kissing rock when they were just a few weeks old._

" _Where did you get that" Ali furrowed her brows and reached forward, taking the picture out of her brothers grip and a small smile threatened her lips at the cuteness of Ellie and Madison when they were just a few weeks old. She remembered that photo being taken like it was yesterday, it was a beautiful day at the start of June and the girls decided to take advantage of the warm weather and have a picnic in the garden. You could say it was the first official 'family outing'. Happiness was all that was visible in Ali's face in that photo, the day before had been the long awaited doctors appointment with Madison where the doctor assured the two anxious mothers that their little girl was officially out of the woods and just earlier that morning they had a little dance party in the kitchen to "I wanna dance with somebody" by Whitney Houston._

" _It doesn't matter how I got it" Jason interrupted his sisters reminiscing. "I keep it with me all the time. I look at it almost everyday and today I hope you let me meet those two little miracles in person. Let me sing them happy birthday and give them their gifts. Even if you never want to see me again, please just let me spend the day with them" Jason pleaded._

 _Ali shut her eyes closed at her brothers words and inhaled a shaky breath. She knew deep down that she always wanted a proper relationship with him but she never actually thought the day would come where he would be begging her to let him be a part of her family again. Before her wedding, her and Jason weren't exactly close but they always made sure to call one another and check up on how things were doing. Jason had been ecstatic when Ali asked him to give her away at her wedding and dance with her while Emily and her dad had their father daughter dance. She was starting her journey in life with Emily and wanted Jason to come along for the ride. But those hopes for Ali were shattered the day after her wedding when she woke up in her hotel room and saw the note slipped under her bedroom door._

 ** _'You looked amazing yesterday Ali. You deserve all the happiness life has to offer and I hope you and Emily enjoy the beautiful journey you are about to embark on together. -Jason'_**

 _That was the last she had heard from Jason. She tried calling him but he never picked up. When a week of no contact from him turned into a month and a month turned into a year, Ali just accepted the fact that he was gone and she did to him exactly what he done to her. She erased him from her life._

 _But now, looking at Jason infront of her with so much hope in his eyes. Ali found herself considering letting him in and as much as she hated to admit it, deep down she still wanted that relationship with her brother._

 _The blonde blew a breath of air from her cheeks. "Look" she trailed off, taking a moment to contemplate what she was about to say. "I'm willing to Try to forgive you Jason"_

 _Jasons face lit up._

 _"But it...it's not going to happen overnight" she continued._

 _"Y...Yeah" Jason took a step forward and cleared his throat. "I totally get that. It's going to take time...Baby steps"_

 _Ali nodded at her brother and scratched her forehead. "I um...I know we were never really that close when we were younger but I still missed you...I really did"_

 _"You and me both" Jason laughed, the lump caught in the back of his troat becomming almost impossible to swallow._

 _A bright smile appeared on Alis face when Jason pouted out his bottom lips and held out his hands for a hug. She chuckled softly and quickly fell into her brothers hold, savouring every second of the moment she had wished for for so long._

" _I hope I didn't miss the birthday cake" Jason pulled out of the hug that was becoming a little too soppy for such a happy day._

" _You're just in time" Ali smiled up to him as he wrapped his arm around her back and made his way into the kitchen to meet his nieces._

XXXXXXXXXX

For Jason, Getting to meet his nieces was the best thing that had ever happened to him, those two weeks they spent together after the party reminded him of all the blessing in his life that he would be sure to hang onto and be grateful for for the rest of his life. He went on a summer trip to Haiti to check on the progress of the school just before Emily and Ali went to Malibu but both him and Ali kept in touch. With daily messages, weekly phone calls and the odd FaceTime every now and then, their relationship was slowly but surely improving.

Jason and Ali both smiled at the memory of that special day at the start of May. A day Ali wished she could relive right now.

"I hope I'm not intruding or anything" Jason stood up from the sofa and scratched the back of his head. "I um...I probably should have atleast texted you before showing up at your door unannounced"

Ali waved her hand at her brother and shook her head. "Please...your not intruding Jason. Im happy You're here" she smiled to him before he pulled her in for a hearthwarming hug.

"Why didn't you wake me this morning" Jason mumbled over the blondes shoulder before she pulled away from his hold. "I wanted to see the twins before you took them to daycare"

"You passed out on the couch last night before I could even give you a proper hello so I figured I'd let you sleep in" Ali picked her phone out of her bag to check the time.

Jason nodded in understandment. "Where are my nieces anyway?"

* * *

Emily sat in the driver's seat of her car outside the therapist's office, her head spinning with thoughts and a nauseating feeling in the pit of her stomach. In the last twenty minutes of her session, her and Dr Evans had gone from talking about her and Alison's relationship to discussing the reason behind Emily jumping into bed with Paige and it had set the brunettes mind into overdrive. Last week she had come out of her first therapy session with a whole new perspective and for the first time in weeks she actually had hope that her and Alison would be okay...but now, not only did she know their relationship was doomed, she also realised something about that night in the bar that she wanted to bury deep in the back of her mind and never dig up...ever.

With a head full of horrible thoughts, Emily turned the keys in the ignition and made her way through the town of Rosewood to collect her daughters. When she arrived at the daycare less than ten minutes later she was immediately greeted by and excited Madison wrapped up in her warm winters jacket, hat and scarf.

"Hey baby" Emily greeted her daughter. "Did you have a good day" she cooed as she picked up the curly haired one and a half year old.

"Dwawin" Maddie yelled from her mother's arms, pointing to the swarm of kids painting in the corner of the room.

"She painted a picture today" Sally smiled as she walked towards the brunette, handing her both Ellie and Madison's backpacks and holding up the drawing for Emily to see.

Emily hung both backpacks from her forearm and opened her mouth in exasperated shock as she examined the series of paint splashes and scribbles on the sheet in front of her. "Wow" she took the painting from Sally. "You drew this?" She widened her eyes to her daughter.

Maddie squealed in excitement while pointing to the drawing in her mother's hands and Emily could only leave a wide smile at her daughters cuteness before looking down to the picture again, this time noticing the writing on the corner of the page 'Mommy, Momma, Ellie and Madison. By Madison Dilaurentis Fields'

Emily felt her breath hitch as she looked down at the family portrait drawn by Maddie. All she could do in that moment was feel sorry for her daughter because not only were her and Alison going through this bad patch, the twins were too. They were suffering just as much, having to cope with everything that had changed since that night and having to watch their Mommies go from loving each other to not being able to look at each other in the space of a few weeks. The brunette pulled her gaze from the writing in the corner of the page and smiled softly to the proud Maddie perched in her arms. "Well done baby" she kissed her daughter's forehead.

Emily and Madison's moment was interrupted when an excited Ellie zoomed across the room towards them, making her presence known as she shouted 'Mama' to the brunette.

"Hey Ellie bug" Emily bend down and lifted her daughter in her other arm, placing a little kiss on her cheek and smiling as the one and a half year old wrapped her little arms around her neck.

"Home" She yelled from Emily's arms.

"Yeah baby" Emily sighed to her curly haired mini me. "Let's go home"

* * *

Ali sat on the couch next to Jason, watching the series of expressions take over his face as he processed what he had just been told. Ali had told him everything, from hers and Emily's first fight to Emily sleeping with her ex. As much as she hated telling that story and hated reliving it each time she did she knew she had to tell Jason. If he was going to be staying with them for a while, he was going to need a valid explanation for the tension and awkwardness between her and Emily.

Jason leaned his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands together and placing his index fingers over his lips. "I'll kill her" he breathed out as he jumped up from the chair.

"Don't jason" Ali looked up to her furious brother. "What's done is done"

Jason put his hands on his hips and walked towards the window before swinging around and facing the blonde again. "When is she going to be here?"

"Soon" Ali said with wide eyes from the couch. "So calm down. Don't say anything okay...Please. You'll just make things worse"

Both her and Jason jerked their heads towards the window when they heard a car pull up on the gravel outside the house.

"She's there" Ali sighed, giving her brother a pleading look before making her way to the door and opening it to greet her girls. The blonde watched from the front door as Emily unbuckled both daughters, walking closely behind them as they ran towards the house and up the steps to their Mommy.

"Hey Ellie" Ali cooed to her daughter as she ran into her arms. She pulled her into a hug and then reached her free arm out to Maddie who followed closely behind. "Hello Maddie" she wrapped her arms around both her daughters and lifted them up, fixing them on her hips and smiling to them as she smothered them in kisses. "Wait until you see who came to visit" she cooed softly to Ellie and Madison as she made her way into the house, Emily following them closely behind and closing the front door behind her

The brunette walked into the living room and was a little taken back to see Jason standing there glaring at her. She cleared her throat and tried not to meet his gaze and was thankful when he moved his eyes to Ali who was kneeling in front of him with both her daughters standing at her side.

Jason squatted down so he was level with his sister and nieces and flashed them a bright smile as Ali cooed softly between them.

"You remember uncle Jason" she pointed to her brother. "He was at your birthday party"

"Hello" Jason's face lit up as Ellie reached her hand forward. The one and a half year old took a few steps towards her uncle and grabbed onto the hand he was holding out to her. The blonde man looked up to his sister, who flashed him a bright smile as Ellie's little hand moved to grab a strand of blonde hair between her fingers and continuously yanked it.

"You like my hair, huh?" Jason beamed to Ellie.

"That makes one of us" Ali jokingly scoffed.

Jason dramatically rolled his eyes and laughed to his sister before looking to Maddie who was gripping her mother's arm tightly as she looked at the strange man in front of her.

"You wanna say hi to uncle Jason" Ali looked down to Madison. "Remember we facetimed him and you showed him Iggy"

The one and a half year old felt all eyes on her and clutched Iggy closer to her chest.

"You a little shy, huh?" She cooed to her daughter.

"You think she's scared of me" Jason moved his eyes from his terrified looking niece to his sister

"Hmm" Ali pursed her lips together and tilted her head as she examined her brother. "Maybe it's the hair"

"Is it really that bad?" Jason laughed to the blonde as he held his niece in his knee.

Ali gave her brother a sad smile and nodded her head and the older man could only laugh in response. The blonde heard a soft chuckle from behind her and turned around to see Emily standing by the living room door, smiling down at the scene unfolding before her.

Emily's smile quickly disappeared and she cleared her throat when she saw the blonde staring at her. She moved her eyes to the ground and pushed a strand of brunette hair behind her ear when the blonde got up from the floor and walk towards her.

Alison stood in front of Emily and folded her arms, opening her mouth to speak but immediately turning her head to Jason when she heard him whisper her name. She looked down to see Maddie pluck up the courage to walk towards him and even smile as he squealed softly to her and her sister. She soaked up the scene for a few moments before looking back to Emily, who she realised hadn't taken her gaze off her. A few moments of silence washed over them as both of them just looked at each other, the hurt and sadness from the events of the past few weeks still clouding their eyes.

"Right" Emily breathed out. "I Ehm...I better get going"

Ali nodded at the brunettes words and followed her out towards the door.

"Give them a goodnight kiss from me" Emily turned around as she stepped outside.

Ali rested her head on the corner of the front door and gave another weak nod. "I will"

Emily found herself falling into a trance as she held Alisons gaze for a few moments, all the thoughts from therapy swirling around in her mind. She was the cause of this mess, the mistake she made that night had caused so much pain for both of them and the worst part was, today she realised something about that "accident" that changed her entire outlook on the whole situation. She couldn't bare to look at the blonde for a moment longer without being reminded of what she done so she turned around and walked down the steps to her car but Alisons voice made her stop in her tracks.

"Emily. Wait" The blonde called out.

Emily turned around and watched as Alison disappeared out of sight, reappearing a few moments later with an envelope in her hand. She walked down to the end of the steps and stood in front of Emily.

"This came in the mail this morning. It's for you"

Emily took the envelope from the blondes hand and looked down at it. She'd recognise the writing on the front of the envelope anywhere, it was her dads. A letter from her father, one of the only people she had left. She looked down at the writing on the front of the envelope for a few moments and moved her eyes to the blonde who was begining to walk away.

"I'm sorry about everything Alison" Emily called out. "I'm sorry I let all this happen"

Alison turned around to face Emily and swallowed hard at her words, watching as the brunette dropped her eyes to the ground below her, walked towards her car, hopped into the drivers seat and drove out of sight. The blonde stood outside for a few moments before heading back inside the house to her brother and her daughters. She trailed in through the living room and took a seat on the couch, looking down at Maddie standing at Jasons knees and smiling as he squealed between them, while Ellie sat on his arm and squealed along with him.

"Thanks for not saying anything" Ali said softly to him.

"Trust me, if my nieces weren't here I would have said plenty"

* * *

It was well after 7pm when Emily made her way to the brew shortly after dropping the twins off with Ali. The brunette walked in through the almost empty cafe, keeping her head down to avoid eye contact with everyone, especially Aria and Ezra as she made her way towards the stairs and walked up to her new home. When Emily turned the key and entered the apartment, she didn't hear the pitter patter of little feet coming to greet her, she didn't feel the homey feeling when she walked through the door and she didn't see Alison. She was utterly alone. Her mind wandered back to thanksgiving night, the night she thought things would change, the night she thought her and Alison had reached a turning point in their Rocky relationship.

XXXXXXXXx

" _The only thing I'm going to be making an effort in doing right now is packing up my stuff at Spencer's to move back home" Ali said with a firmness to her voice._

" _You're moving back in" Emily's face lit up._

" _Yes" Ali moved her gaze from Emily's hopeful eyes to the view in front of her. "But you're moving out"_

" _W...What" Emily furrowed her brows, her voice shaking at the blondes words. "Where am I supposed to go?"_

 _"You'll figure it out" Alison jumped off the bonnet of the car and walked past the brunette, opening her car door and jumping inside._

 _"Alison please..."_

 _Before the brunette could finish her words, Alison shut the door closed, turned her key in the ignition and reversed out of her parking spot, leaving the brunette standing there looking just as hopeless as she did the night in the waiting room of the therapist's office less that two weeks before._

XXXXXXXXXX

Emily had hoped that night would go differently. She thought her and Ali were taking a step in the right direction, finally facing their problems but It turns out they actually ended up taking a step backwards. When Alison and Toby showed up the next day the brunette pleaded the blonde to let her stay but when that plea was unsuccessful, Emily didn't fight the fact she had to move out, she just did it.

The brunette sat in her car and drove around town with no real destination in mind. She didn't want to check into the Radley because she knew that's where Paige was staying, she didn't want to go to her Moms because she honestly couldn't face her, let alone live with her and the brunette didn't think her friends were willing to give her the guest room, that was until she got a cryptic text from Aria saying 'Key behind counter, you know where to go'. At first, Emily took it as a kind gesture from her friend but Aria made it clear that wasn't the case. The petite brunette would never admit it but she gave Emily a place to stay out of guilt. Guilt of her telling Ali all those things she shouldn't have, from Paige working with them to the interrupted moment in the teachers lounge. Guilt of being the trigger of Alison and Emily's fight that night.

Emily let out a deep sigh as she dropped her bag and keys in the kitchen island and took off her jacket. She picked the envelope out of her bag and turned it to rip it open but froze before she did, her mind filling with thoughts. The only people she really had left right now was the twins and her father. She missed him, she missed his smile and how he always knew what to say, all she wanted right now was to ask his advice, ask him what the hell she was suppose to do with her mess of a life but he had bigger problems right now fighting war about ten time zones away. As much as Emily wanted to open this letter, to see her father's words written on paper she knew it would be a mistake. She had learned too much about herself today in therapy, too much about her mistakes and reading her dad's words of wisdom right now would surely set off the water works.

She flipped the envelope over and ran her finger across the sloppy handwriting at the front, leaving out an exasperated sigh before walking to the kitchen cupboard and stuffing it inside. She then made her way over to the RHS gear bag on the living room floor, packed all the things she needed into it and got ready to leave Rosewood the following morning.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading. Feedback is appreciated:)**


	22. Resurfaced Feelings

**Happy Monday everyone! As always, thank you so much for the reviews and messages on the last chapter. The response to this story is overwhelming and made me determined to finish this chapter for today. Also, sorry for the cliffhanger on the last chapter...and sorry in advance for the cliffhanger on this chapter. This one is a little shorter than the rest, but to make up for it the next one will definitally exceed 5,000 words:) Enjoy, follow, fave and please review!**

* * *

 **Chapter 22: Resurfaced Feelings**

"Okay Ladies" Emily sighed as she walked down the aisle after taking the role call to make sure all of her students were present. "With Kyra not bothering to show up, we're one swimmer short so I need you to give it your all. Easton High has a great team but we're better"

"How long until we get there" one of her students questioned.

"To Pittsburg" Emily turned around to face the girl at the back of the bus, blowing a breath of air from her cheeks as she looked down to the time on her phone. "It's just passing 5am now so...I'd say maybe 11"

"Coach" another called out, preventing Emily once again from making her way back to her seat.

"Yes" Emily exhaled a deep breath.

"I thought it was just you and Ms King coming to the meet" Caitlyn furrowed her brows to the swim coach.

"It is" Emily told her.

"Well then why is Ms McCullers getting on the bus?"

Emily widened her eyes at her students words before darting them to the front of the bus where, sure enough, Paige was stuffing her gearbag into the overhead storage.

"Coach. I feel sick" A pale girl groaned from the back of the bus.

The students words completely washed over Emilys head, her only concern right now being what the hell Paige was doing here. A cold feeling rushed through her veins as she paced down to her ex who was just standing there looking at her with a hint of a smile on her face.

"What are you doing here?" Emily breathed out once she was face to face with the last person she wanted to be looking at right now.

"I'm here to show my support for the team" Paige smiled, gesturing her hands to all the excited swimmers on the bus.

"So you're voluntarily giving up your weekend to travel to Pittsburgh...to show support for the team?" Emily stated with a confused expression on her face, knowing very well that wasn't the case. She wasn't exactly thrilled about leaving Rosewood for the weekend to attend a meet she already knew her team was going to loose so why would Paige be so eager to join.

"Yep" the red head answered with a little too much enthusiasm for Emily's liking.

"Great" the brunette smacked both hands off her thighs. "Just perfect" She mumbled to herself, brushing past her ex and taking her seat at the front of the bus.

Within seconds of Emily sitting down, Paige was in her line of vision once again, this time to take the free seat next to her

"This seat's taken actually" Emily put her hand on the chair, stopping the red head before she could sit down.

"For who" Paige chuckled softly and looked around the bus at everyone seated and ready to go.

"My bag" Emily reached down for the handbag at her feet and placed it on the chair next to her.

"Come on Emily" Paige rolled her eyes and sighed. "It's a five hour drive. I could use some company"

"Well I'd rather be alone" Emily looked away from the red head and out outside the window to her right. "Sit somewhere else Paige"

Paige just laughed at Emily's words and moved the bag from the chair to the floor, taking the seat despite Emilys request not to. When Emily noticed the warm body occupy the seat next to her, she grabbed her bag, shot up from the chair and moved to the free seat on the opposite row. From the corner of her eye, she could already see her ex staring at her and all she could do in response was close her eyes and leave a deep sigh as the bus drove out of it's parking spot outside RHS. Right now, all Emily wished was that this day could be over, that she could just wanted to fast forward to tomorrow so she could collect her daughters and spend her Sunday night snuggled up with them on the chair watching movies.

* * *

Just after 8am that morning, Ali stood at the kitchen counter with her cup of coffee in hand, savouring the taste of the caffeine that flowed down her throat and hoping its effects would kick in soon. She hated working Saturdays and usually took them off, but with a pregnant partner defeated by morning sickness and two student employees taking their exams, the blonde had no choice but to go into work.

Alison pressed her coffee cup to her lips and took a small sip, her eyes fixed on the kissing rock out the window as she thought back to a very special night almost seven years ago when she proposed to Emily.

XXXXXXXXXX

 _Hand in hand, the blonde and brunette sauntered through the woods, one of them completely oblivious that tonight was going to be a night she would remember for the rest of her life while the other replayed the words in her head that could give her the happily ever after that she had dreamed of for so long. Tonight, a simple yes or no question would change both their lives forever. Tonight, the blonde was going to get down on one knee and ask her girlfriend to marry her._

" _I still have no idea where we're going" Emily informed the blonde as both of them walked passed the surrounding trees._

" _That's why it's called a surprise" Alison smiled._

 _Emily looked into her girlfriends eyes and gave her a sneaky smile as she swung their interlocking fingers back and forth. "If this is for sex in the woods then…"_

" _It's not for sex in the woods Emily" Alison widened her eyes and let out a snigger as she pushed against the brunette._

" _Well I was going to say I'm all for trying new thing but...Okay" Emily joked to the blonde._

 _Alison laughed at Emilys words and rested her head on her girlfriends shoulder as the two of them walked further into the woods. They watched as the sun sank lower in the sky, making way for the velvet dark of night and comfortable silence washed over the two as they admired the beauty the evening sky had to offer. The only sounds heard being the crunching of the mulch and snapping of twigs beneath their feet, the first buzz of the mosquitoes in the distance and the soft chirping of the crickets coming out to play._

" _Do you ever wonder where what your life will be like in ten years" Emily took in a breath of fresh air and looked around her._

" _All the time" Ali raised her brows._

" _Ten years ago, when I imagined my life, I would have never pictured myself here" the brunette put her hand around the blonde and pulled her closer. "Having an amazing girlfriend like you, working a job I love, traveling to places I never thought I'd see. That was all just a dream once" she chuckled softly to herself and dropped her eyes to the ground. "Just goes to show...Anything can happen"_

 _Alison stopped in her tracks and looked straight ahead of her, a bright smile taking over her face. "My dream is us being here"_

 _Emily moved her eyes from the ground to Alison, then followed the blondes line of vision to see a sight that almost took her breath away. Right before her eyes was the kissing rock, one of hers and Alison's favourite spots in Rosewood decorated with an array of candles scattered around the ground and an assortment of poloroid photos from special moments in their relationship attached to strings falling from the fairy lights that were hanging from the trees above. How she didn't figure out the mysterious location Alison was taking her too was the kissing rock before hand was beyond her._

" _Oh my god" Emily scanned her eyes around her, bringing them to rest on the overjoyed blonde beside her. "It's beautiful Alison"_

" _When I imagined my life ten years ago, I never would have guessed that this is how it would turn out" Alison guided Emily towards the kissing rock. "I always knew I wanted you Em, I always knew deep down that you were the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with"_

 _"Ali" the brunette furrowed her brows, curiosity filling her eyes. "What's going on?"_

 _Alison took both the brunettes hands in her own and inhaled a deep breath as she looked up to the sky above, giving herself a moment to prepare herself for what she was about to say. "When I was at my most lonely and unhappy and angry place...You loved me" She gazed into those intoxicating brown orbs infront of her. "When I was an ugly human being...you saw a beautiful soul" She gave the brunette a watery smile, her eyes filled with nothing but pure love for the woman standing infront of her. "You make the world a better place because...You see the good in it" She reached her hand forward and wiped the stray tear that fell down the brunettes cheek. "And you make me a better woman because...You search for one" Alison reached her hand into her pocket and pulled out a red velvet box, slowly opening it for the brunette to see._

 _Emily recognised the ring immediately and put her free hand to her mouth in pure shock when she realised the blonde was about to do. "This is my grandmothers ring" She barely managed to say with the lump caught in her throat._

 _"Exactly seven years ago today. We left the club after our first 'official' kiss and this is where I took you and told you I loved you" Alisons voice cracked as she spoke, watching as another tear slipped down Emilys cheek at the memory of that special night. "This is where I asked you to be my girlfriend" The blonde flashed Emily a dimpled smile and took the diamond ring out of it's box. "And right here, tonight. This is where I'm going to ask you to ask you to become my wife" Alison knelt down on one knee and took a moment to gaze into Emily's eyes._

" _Emily Fields" she took a shaky breath, her vision becoming blurry with the unshed tears welling up in her eyes. "Will you marry me"_

 _Emily let out a soft chuckle at the blondes words and gave her a watery smile. "Yes Ali" she breathed out, quickly pulling her fiance up from the ground and wrapping her arms around her. "Of course i'll marry you" she said with a hoarse voice as she took the blondes lips in her own for a lingering kiss._

 _Alison and Emily both pulled away from the hug, smiling at eachother with nothing but love in their eyes._

 _"I love you" the blonde beamed as she slid the ring onto her fiances finger._

 _"I love you too, Ali"_

XXXXXXXXXX

Thinking back to that night, almost seven years ago. Alison would have never saw herself standing here, heartbroken after the love of her life cheated on her. All that reminiscing just made her wonder what the next three years of her life had to offer. What other bumps and shitstorms the universe would decide to throw at her. Will her and Emily be together? Will they have gotten through this? Who knows. If she could go back and tell that overjoyed Alison seven years ago that this is where she'd be, that Alison would have laughed in her face and told her that's impossible. Just goes to show...you must savour every moment of joy in your life while you can because it could all be gone in the morning. Life is a rollercoaster. A rollercoaster where anything can go wrong.

Ali was startled from her thoughts by a loud squeal coming from behind her and she turned around to be greeted by her brother straggling her two squirming one and a half year old daughters in his arms.

"Go to Mommy" Jason encouraged Ellie as he let the more energetic baby out of his arms.

Ali put her cup on the counter and knelt down, smiling as she reached both arms out to her daughter. "Hell...Ohhhh" she furrowed her brows when she noticed the choice of outfit her brother had decided to put on his nieces. She picked Ellie up in her arms, letting out a small chuckle as she fixed the way to small navy dress jason had paired with black and pink polka dotted tights, a yellow cardigan and a grey bow. "Um...Maybe we can find something a little more..." She waved her hand in front of her while trying to find a nice word for the end of her sentence. "More...Coordinated for daycare" she quirked her eyebrows and looked up to her beaming brother.

"I think what their wearing is adorable for daycare" Jason looked to Maddie in his arm and fixed the bow he had attempted to put on her brunette curls. "But I was actually going to ask you if I can take care of them instead"

"I don't know Jason" Alison sighed, letting Ellie down on the ground and watching as she ran to the pile of toys Jason had organised the night before. "They can be a bit of a handful at times. Especially when you're flying solo"

"I'm sure I'll manage just fine" he rolled his eyes to the clearly overprotective mother in front of him.

"Yeah" Ali chuckled, folding her arms in front of her chest. "Come back to me on that one later when one of them decides to cry for food and the other decided to cry just for the fun of it" She directed the last part to Ellie in the corner of the dining room, the troublemaker of the two.

"Please" Jason pouted out his bottom lip. "I want to spend some quality time with them" he smiled to Maddie in his arms, then looked back to the blonde in front of him. "I was going to maybe put up christmas decorations. It's like what?...almost two weeks until christmas and the closest thing you have to a decoration is a tree with about five ornaments on it"

Alison blew out a breath of air from her cheeks and walked over to her bag on the kitchen island, stuffing in the store diary and the file's she had tried, but failed to look through the night before. Once Emily left after dropping the girls home last night, Ali became completely lost in her thoughts for the majority of the night, zoning out every so often and letting her mind take her to a place where her and Emily could actually work things out between them. "I started that last week" the blonde referred to the half decorated christmas tree in the living room. "But those two little rascals got tired and fussy so I just kind of gave up"

"Maybe a little christmas spirit will do us all the world of good" Jason smiled a hopeful smile to his sister. "So what do you say sis? Can my nieces ditch daycare and hang out with their uncle for the day?"

Ali looked at her brother giving her the puppy dog eyes and just rolled her eyes jokingly in response. "Fineeee" she gave him a dimpled smile, but widened her eyes to finish her sentance. "But you must promise me that you'll call if you need anything. I'm only covering one of our younger employees shifts today so I should be home before 1"

"Yes" Jason put his fist in the air and smiled down to his grinning niece in his arms. "Today is gonna be a good day Maddie" He tickled Maddies stomach, both him and Alison smiling at the series of adorable giggles erupting from the little brunettes mouth.

The tree of them, including Maddie flinched at the loud crash that came from the dining room and darted their eyes over where Ellie was standing, a guilty expression taking over her face as she looked down to the toppled toy basket and the pile of toys surrounding her feet.

"Uh oh" she pointed to the mess she made, then looked up to her Mommy who could only inhale a deep breath and look to her brother with a sneaky smile in response.

"Well" the blonde threw her bag over her shoulder and picked up her keys and phone from the island. "Since you were so eager to be on twin duty today, I'll let you take care of that mess over there"

* * *

"Lights out Ladies, we have an early start in the morning to get back to Rosewood so get some sleep" the brunette peeked her head into the last room of upset and dissapointed students who were already under the covers and ready to go to sleep. "I'm sure we'll have better luck next time" she called out before closing the door behind her and making her way to her own room down the hall.

When the brunette entered her room she stretched her arms high above her head and allowed a deep yawn escape her lips. She pressed the home button on her phone to see it was just passing 9pm and all she wanted right now was to fall straight into bed after the long and stressful day she had dealing with not only her students, but also her ex. Emily kicked off her shoes and headed straight over to the chair at the foot of the bed to get her oversized RHS coach t-shirts. She then stripped off her clothes and just as she was about to slip her t-shirt over her body, a loud knock on the door echoed through the room.

"Who is it" Emily called out, her first though being that something had happened to one of her students.

There was silence behind the door and Emily trailed towards it, stopping in her tracks when she recognised the voice that finally started speaking.

"It's me" Paige called out from behind the door.

Emily closed her eyes and inhaled a deep breath. "Are all the students okay?"

"Um...Yeah" Paige answered after a moment of hesitation. "They're fine"

"Well then what do you want?" Emily huffed.

"Can you just...Can you open the door"

"No" Emily chuckled softly to herself. "That's not happening"

"Please"

"Go away paige" Emily stormed over to her bed and jumped under the covers, switching off the lamp on the bedside table and pulling the sheets over her head. A few moments of silence took over and Emily figured her ex got the hint that she wasn't welcome so she closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh of relief. But Emily spoke too soon bacause the knocking started again, this time a lot louder and she just hoped if she ignored it that it would stop but after a few minutes she knew that was probably never going to happen.

"Stop knocking" Emily scolded, pulling the sheets from her face and sitting up straight in the bed.

"I'll stop knocking when you let me in" Paige raised her voice to match Emily's before starting up the rhythmic knock again which Emily could only respond to with a loud groan as she threw her head back onto the pillow beneath her.

The brunette lay in her bed, her pillow pressed against her ears to muffle the continuous knocking on the door and her gaze held on the ceiling above her. She knew that if Paige didnt stop soon, she was going to piss off a lot more people than just her and the last thing Emily needed right now was for one of her students to peek outside the door and see Ms McCullers begging for entry to Mrs Dilaurentis-Fields room. That would surely start up a lot of untrue rumours around the school and that was certainly the last thing Emily needed right now, especially with Aria's act for telling Ali things she shouldn't. It would surely get back to her wife.

"Fuck sake" Emily growled, sitting up straight once again but this time throwing her pillow on the floor in frustration. She jumped up and ran to the door, her feet pounding off the floor beneath her and her nostrils flaring in anger. "What do you..." she pulled open the door but was cut off from her words when she was almost pushed to the ground as Paige barged through the door and shut it behind her, taking both herself, and Emily completely by surprise.

"What the..."

"Emily I..." Paige raised her voice, resting her back against the door and shutting her eyes, pulling out all the courage she had to say to her ex what she had waited so long to say. "I still..." she trailed off with a shaky breath.

"You still what?" Emily folded her arms tightly in front of her chest and glared at her ex.

"I still..." Paige inhaled a deep breath and continued to keep her eyes shut, refusing to make eye contact with the brunette. She didn't want to see the expression on her face when she said what she came here to say. She inhaled a deep breath and held it for a few moments.

"Pa..."

"I still love you Emily" Paige exhaled the breath, now finally opening her eyes to see a brunette who's entire face had dropped at her statement. "I never stopped" she said after a shaky breath. "When you came back to California that new year and ended our relationship...I wasn't done loving you"

"Paige..." Emily swallowed hard.

"I shouldn't have let you go so easily" Paige cut her off. "I should have fought for you...and every day since I regretted that I didn't. But I just...I couldn't compete with her"

"S...Stop talking" Emily closed her eyes and held up her hands to the red head. "Please stop talking"

"That night at the bar a few weeks ago...You were so unhappy" Paige continued, despite the brunettes request not to. "It was like the old Emily, the Emily I knew was gone...And you were the exact same when we ran into each other three years ago"

Emily opened her mouth to speak but she couldn't form words. Her brain physically wouldn't allow her to. She wanted to defend herself and tell Paige that she was happy, but that wasn't true. All the brunette could could actually manage to do was just stand there and hear what her ex had to say.

"But I'm telling you, I can bring that old Emily back" Paige paused for a few moments and watched Emily stand there, her mouth opening but no words coming out. "I can held you find happiness again...We can help each other find happiness again" she took a few steps closer to the brunette.

"I...I love Alison" Emily managed to say, her voice wobbling as she did so.

"Do you?" Paige tilted her head, a questioning expression replacing the hopeful one on her face. "Because some of the things you said that night Emily, it made it seem like you didn't"

"Of course I love her" Emily breathed out. "She was my wife" the brunette widened her eyes and shook her head to correct herself. "She is my wife" she swallowed hard at her words but continued to speak. "A...And the things I said to you that night...I didn't mean it, I didn't mean any of it...I was drunk"

"You were pretty convincing Emily" Paige said in a voice just above a whisper.

Emily opened her mouth to speak, to defend herself and her actions that night to the red head but she couldn't find words. She didn't know what to say.

"I want you" Paige found the courage to blurt out, inching closer and closer to the brunette. "And I promise you I will do everything I can to get you back because, love is worth fighting for" the red head allowed a moment of silence wash over them as Emily processed everything she said. She looked at the brunette, right into the brown orbs that were becoming more intoxicating by the second.

Emily stood just there, completely frazzled at all the words Paige had just thrown at her. Her pulse became rapid when Paige's gaze became stronger and stronger and memories of their relationship and the night she ended it came tumbling through her head, her mind so preoccupied she didn't realise she was leaning into Paige's kiss until it was too late.

Paige took Emily's lips in hers for a lingering kiss, a kiss with so much emotion that every feeling they ever felt for eachother came rushing to the surface. The red head gripped Emily's oversized RHS t-shirt and pulled her closer to her body, heating the kiss when she slipped her tongue along the brunettes bottom lip.

* * *

 **Please don't hate me.**


	23. Resurfaced Feelings Part II

**This is a continuation of the last chapter and picks up right where it left off.**

 **Listen to 'Baby Mine' by Alison Krauss when reading one of these scenes. You'll know which one it is.**

* * *

 **Chapter 23: Resurfaced Feelings part II**

"I want you" Paige found the courage to blurt out, inching closer and closer to the brunette. "And I promise you that I will do everything I can to get you back because, love is worth fighting for" The red head allowed a moment of silence wash over them as Emily processed everything she said. The brunettes brown orbs becoming more intoxicating by the second.

Emily stood there, completely frazzled at all the words Paige had just thrown at her and her pulse became rapid when Paige's gaze in her eyes became stronger and stronger. Memories of their relationship and the night she ended it came tumbling through her head, her mind so preoccupied she didn't realise she was leaning into Paige's kiss before it was too late.

Paige took Emily's lips in her for a lingering kiss, a kiss with so much emotion that every feeling they ever felt for eachother came rushing to the surface. The red head gripped Emily's oversized RHS t-shirt and pulled her closer to her body, heating the kiss when she slipped her tongue along the brunettes bottom lip.

"Emily" Paige looked at the wide eyed brunette in front of her, her eyes fixed on the door behind her as if her mind was taking her to all kinds of places at the words she'd heard. "Say something...Please." More silence fell over them and Paige found her own mind taking her places, that place being the night they ran into each other in the bar. She knew since that night that her feelings for Emily were still there, she was just waiting for the right time to tell her and figured tonight would be perfect. The anticipation for a reply was becoming too much and she needed to know how Emily felt so in a louder voice, Paige called out the brunettes name again.

"W...What" Emily breathed out once Paige's faded voice became clearer, her head darting frantically around her as if she was trying to figure out where she was and what she was doing here. It took her a few moments to bring herself back to reality, the reality that was much better than the place her mind had just taken her too. She looked at the red head who was now inches away from her and almost choked on the breath of air she had gasped for.

"Please say something" Paige took another step closer to Emily.

"S...Stop" Emily bolted her body away from Paige and shook her hands frantically in front of her face, her eyes shut closed. "Please...just...just go Paige" she breathed out, her heart pounding against her chest.

"Emily" Paige reached her arm out, the brunettes only response being a tensed up body and a look of pure hatred, what Paige though was directed just at her but for Emily, that look was directed to herself. She hated that she thought such a thing. That she actually thought about kissing Paige in a daydream that felt so real it actually scared her. "Emily plea…"

"Get out" Emily felt her breath hitch and she darted her eyes to the ceiling, not wanting to make any sort of eye contact with the redhead in front of her.

"I love you" Paige's lips trembled and her vision became blurry as unshed tears welled up in her eyes.

"I don't feel the same way" the brunette said, her voice firm and her eyes wide wide open.

"Love is worth fighting for" Paige repeated her words from earlier with just as much as a firmness to her tone. "And I'm not going to stop until I get you back"

The brunette shut her eyes closed at Paiges statement. "You lost that fight a long time ago"

Paige stood there helplessly and watched as the brunette in front of her did everything she could to avoid eye contact. "Em…" she stepped closer to her ex.

"Get out" Emily raised her voice after a sniffle. "Now"

"This isn't over" Paige informed the brunette, her voice cracking as she did so. She waited a few moments for a reply from Emily but got nowhere, so she let out a defeated sigh, walked towards the door and slammed it hard behind her once she was outside.

The loud slamming of the door finally gave Emily the will power to look up. She went straight towards the door and pushed her body weight against it as she locked it, then slowly slid down it and just sat there with her knees hugged to her chest.

* * *

Alison trailed around the living room a little after 9pm, picking up the assortment of toys scattered around the room and folding the baby clothes that lay on the chair. She dropped her hands at her side with a defeated sigh, then ran her fingers through her ruffled hair as she looked around the now seemingly tidier living room, her eyes landing on the christmas tree in front of the window that Jason had spent the day decorating with the (un)helpful assistance of the twins. She admired it for a few moments, then sauntered over to the the fireplace where all but one stocking was hanging up. The blonde reached down to the box on the ground beneath her and picked up the missing stocking...Emily's. She thought back to last Christmas, the twins first Christmas. Her and Emily were beaming with excitement as they held their daughters in their arms and hung up their stockings on the fireplace.

" _To the first of many happy christmases with our little family" Emily cooed to her daughters before bringing her eyes to rest on the blondes overjoyed face. Both of them smiling brightly at each other as Alison leaned into the kiss Emily was placing on her lips._

Emily's words from that night made Ali's breath hitch because this is definitely not what she would call a happy christmas. It broke her heart that the first Christmas her daughters could actually enjoy would probably be spent switching from house to house so her and Emily can get time with them. The two had completely put off the topic of Christmas because neither of them wanted to admit that it would be best for everyone if they spent it apart.

Alison let out a deep sigh and just gazed at the stocking for a few moments. Her heart telling her to hang it up on the empty spot next to Madisons but her head telling her to keep her guard up and put it back in the box. After a moment of hesitation, her head won and she placed the red stocking with the brunettes name imprinted on it into the box that would soon make its way back up to the dusty attic.

The blonde swallowed hard as her gaze, once again fell onto the empty spot on the fireplace but before she could allowed her heart to gain power and hang the stocking up, she quickly turned around and swiped the remote control from the coffee table to shut off the christmas movie her, Jason and the twins had watched snuggled up on the chair with a beaker/cup of hot cocoa in hand. Instead of shutting off the TV, the blonde wound up pressing the button to switch the DVD player on and was immediately face to face with a slideshow of photos from hers and Emily's wedding over six years ago, the DVD playing from the last spot the brunette had watched it before it got too much to handle, the spot where the blonde and brunette said the words that made them one.

Immediately drawn to the images on the TV in front of her, Ali's legs gave out from underneath her and her body dropped onto the chair. She felt her breath catch at the back of her throat when she saw the photos of her and Emily standing at the altar. A picture of Emily sliding the ring onto Alison's finger came next, followed by a picture of Alison sliding a diamond ring onto Emily's and then a photo of the newly married couple having their first kiss which sent the blondes mind back to relive that very special moment. The moment Alison DiLaurentis became Alison DiLaurentis-Fields

XXXXXXXXXX

" _We are gathered here today to celebrate love…..Happiness…..loyalty…..Friendship and well, In my opinion, a little bit of magic" the minister smiled to the blonde and brunette in front of her, then to all their family and friends that filled up the rows of chairs._

 _Alison and Emily gazed into eachothers eyes and the minister's words murmured softly in the background. The brunette gave the beaming blonde a watery smile and Alison let out a soft chuckle as she gently squeezed the tanned hands that were placed in hers. Alison looked around her, her eyes landing on her three best friends on the front row, the three bridesmaids huddled into each other, not a dry eye between them and the blonde flashed them a soft smile before moving her gaze back to her soon to be wife, her very best friend, the woman her heart beats for. She had spent the past few years with Emily as her partner, and she couldn't wait to spent the rest of her life with Emily as her wife._

" _You may now join hands and read your vows" the minister smiled, nodding her head to Emily who was first up._

" _I, Emily Fields, take thee, Alison Dilaurentis, to have and to hold from this day forward" the brunette smiled brightly as she slid the ring onto Alison's Finger, taking a moment to just gaze into those intoxicating blue eyes, the eyes she would never get tired of looking into. "For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part"_

 _The way Emily looked at the woman in front of her was enough to take Alison's breath away. She tried desperately to swallow the lump caught in the back of her throat and willed the tears slowly welling up in her eyes not to fall from down face. She inhaled a deep breath as the minister looked to her, signaling her to say the most important words she would ever say to Emily, her wedding vows._

" _I, Alison DiLaurentis, take thee, Emily Fields, to have and to hold from this day forward" The blonde looked up at Emily with nothing but pure love in her eyes before slowly sliding the ring onto the brunettes finger. She took Emily's hands in hers once again and inhaled a breath of air, preparing herself to finish her last sentence as Emily's fiance. "For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part"_

" _By the power vested in me I now pronounce you, wife and wife" the minister closed the book in front of her and held it against her chest. " You may kiss the bride"_

 _Alison smiled at Emily before cupping her cheeks and taking her lips in her own the first of many kisses as a married couple while the crowd around them clapped and cheered._

XXXXXXXXXX

The sound of winging broke Ali from her moment and she turned around to see Jason standing there, swaying a restless Maddie in his arms as he looked up to the TV, immediately noticing the wedding video playing in the background but Alison quickly shut it off and sat up straight on the chair, clearing her throat and blinking away the pain that had welled up in her eyes at the array of special photos on the screen in front of her.

"Someone's refusing to go to sleep" Jason's eyes trailed from Alison down to Madison in his arms, his heart breaking at the tuc in her heart and the way she clutched her elephant, Iggy so tightly against her chest. "I've tried a bottle and walking around the hall with her but she won't go back down. There's only one person she wants right now and it's not me" he gave his sister a sad smile and walked closer towards her, his nieces breath still hitching as she rested her head close to his chest.

"What's wrong baby" Alison reached her arms forward and took her one and a half year old from her brothers hold.

"Mama" Maddie rasped, nestling her head into the crook of Ali's neck. "Wey Mama" she moved her shiny eyes and tear stained face up to her Mommy.

"Mamas at a swim meet" Ali rocked her daughter back and forth as she rubbed little circles on her back. "You'll see her tomorrow sweet girl"

"Mama" Maddie repeated, her cries becoming louder and louder each time. The rocking back and forth tactic that usually worked to settle her now useless.

"You miss Mama, don't you" Ali said softly, her eyes shut closed as she inhaled a shaky breath. "I know baby" she whispered into the little brunette curls before planting a kiss on her little forehead. "Mommy does too"

After a few more moments of continuous sobs from her daughter, Ali knew there was no way the little brunette would go down without seeing, or atleast hearing Emily's voice so Ali reached for her phone on the coffee table in front of her, continuing to cradle Madison in her arms as she did so. "We'll call her baby...don't worry" she said as she unlocked her phone and began dialing the brunettes number, the caller ID still showing as 'Wifey' with a red heart after it. "We'll call Mama"

* * *

Emily sat on against her hotel room door, her knees hugged against her chest and her mind racing at a speed she couldn't control. The dreamed up moment of her and Paige kissing replayed in her head like a train on the tracks, a train she had tried, but failed to stop. She absolutely hated herself for even letting the image of her and Paige kissing flash through her head but she couldn't control it. The whole thing was like an out of body experience. She was just standing there, watching herself give her ex exactly what she wanted and she didnt even want to think of how far her mind would have taken her if Paiges voice didn't snap her out of it.

The brunette flinched when she heard her phone ring and darted her head up to the bed infront of her. Panic immediately washed over her because the only person who would have a reason to call her right now was Alison, and the only reason Alison would be calling would be if something was wrong. With that in mind, the brunette quickly stood up from the floor and made her way over to get her phone on the bed..

She slid her finger across the screen to answer and inhaled shaky breath before speaking. "H...Hello"

"Emily" Alison called out as if she was thankful the brunette finally answered before the last ring. "Maddie...She misses you"

Emily swallowed the lump in her throat and closed her eyes as she tried to find the words she was looking for. "I...is she...is she there with you?"

"Yeah, She's right here." Ali said softly. "I'll put you on speaker"

The brunette sat onto the corner of the bed and dropped her head back, looking up to the ceiling as if to compose herself and prevent more silent tears streaming down her face. She cleared her throat and took another deep breath before she talked to her little girl. "Hey Maddie bear" she cooed softly to her winging daughter on the other side of the phone.

"Mama" Alison watched as Maddies eyes grew wider at the sound of Emilys voice.

"Yeah sweet girl" Emily sniffled. "It...It's Mama"

"Mama" Maddie repeated before bursting into another round of tears. "luv oo Mama" she sobbed

"I love you too sweet girl" Emily squeased her eyes closed and a tear flowed down her cheek while an oblivious Alison rocked the curly haired little brunette in her arms to try soothe her. "M...Mamas here"

"Iggy" Maddie rasped from Ali's arms, pulling her elephant closer to her chest. "Wan Iggy son"

"You want the Iggy song" Emily wiped her hand across her face and her lips curved into a small smile at the sound of her daughters husky voice. "I'll sing you the Iggy song"

Alison sat back further in the chair and got comfortable with her curly haired daughter in her arms, both of them patiently waiting for Emily to start singing Maddie's favourite song in the world, 'Baby Mine' from her favourite movie, Dumbo.

"Baby mine, don't you cry" the brunette started singing to her little girl.

"Baby mine, dry your eyes" she swallowed hard, trying to get through the song and not think of anything else but her daughter.

"Rest your head close to my heart...Never to part...Baby of mine" Emily trailed off with a sniffle and cleared her throat which wasn't missed by the blonde on the other side of the phone. She heard Emily cry many times before and she knew right now that was exactly what the brunette had been doing.

"Little one when you play" Emily shut her eyes closed, trying to keep her shaky voice as still as possible. "D...Don't you mind what they say...Let those eyes sparkle and shine...Never a tear...Baby of mine"

Alison held Maddie close to her chest as Emily continue to sing and the one year old's eyes slowly fluttered close as she listened to the soft murmuring of her Mamas voice.

"But you're so precious to me...Sweet as can be...Baby of mine" Emily swallowed hard and stopped singing at the sound of steady breathing coming from her sleeping daughter on the other side of the phone. "I love you Maddie bear" she whispered, keeping her phone to her ear as silence from the other side of it washed over them.

Alison sat with her sleeping daughter close to her chest, the phone still in her hand with Emily on the other side of it. She closed her eyes and let the quietness take over. "GoodNight Em"

Emily dropped her head back and put the phone against her chest. She could barely hold in the sob caught in the back of her throat any longer and she knew if she talked to Alison, it would all come rushing out. The only thing she could do right now was hang up the phone and so that's exactly what she did.

Alison sat with the phone infront if her, waiting for a reply from the brunette but instead, she heard the the continuous beeping she didn't think she would be met with before the 'wifey' caller ID disappeared and her home screen took over. Emily had hung up the phone.

* * *

"Night Maddie bear" Ali fixed Iggy under her sleeping daughters arm and blew her a kiss before taking a few steps over to the other crib. "Goodnight Ellie bug" she ran her fingers through the back of her little brunette curls. "Sweet dreams"

Ali sat back in the rocking chair and just listened to the steady breathing of her little girls. The two little brunettes that made her world a better place. The blonde found herself humming softly, the tune of 'Baby Mine' as her eyes wandered around the room, settling on the bookshelf just above the dresser. She got up and walked towards it, standing infront of it for a few moments and scanning her eyes around for the one book that didn't seem to be anywhere in sight. She spotted the familiar brown spine behind a fairy tale and carefully pulled it out, her lips curving into a tiny smile as she ran her finger along the gold title of her all time favourite book, Great Expections. She opened it up to chapter 29, to the page with the words she had read to Emily in the school library all those years ago and so many times after.

 **' _I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be'_**

Ali read the words slowly to herself, then read them again, and again, her mind drifting back to the school library all those years ago when she first read Pip's speech to the Emily.

 _"That's why I love you" Ali had smiled to the brunette beside her. "You're big on happy endings"_

 _Emily looked at Ali with eyes full of wonder at the words she just spoke. Little did she know, not only was Alison her happy ending, but she was Alison's too._

 _"So is dickens by the way" Ali continued, her eyes dropping to the book in her hands. "Pip gets Estella in the end" She looked up to the brunette again._ _"Can I read you something"_

 _Emily nodded._

 _"I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be" Alison recited the words by heart, her and Emily both gazing into each others eyes._

That was the first time they kissed, the first time Emily found the courage to lean forward and press her lips against Ali's. The blondes stomach was summersalting when she saw the intensity of Emily's gaze and she would never admit it to anyone at the time, but that day was one of the best of her life. Her mermaid finally kissing her made her mind go places she never imagined it would, go to places that actually became a reality. The place where her and Emily got their happy ending.

Alison shut her eyes and closed the book at the thought of them losing their happy ending. She was trying to put up a strong front infront of everyone, trying to act as if she was okay but on the inside, she was broken. Her heart, her spirit, everything was just...broken. And the worst part was, the only person that she felt could repair it was the person who broke it all to begin with.

Ali put the book back on the shelf before the memory of that day in the library set off the water works and trailed back over to her two sleeping daughters in their cribs. Maddie on her side snuggled into Iggy and Ellie sprawled out like a starfish with her thumb in her mouth and her blankie clutched tightly in her hand. She smiled down to them before turning off the Dumbo nightlight, making her way out into the hall and down the stairs to her brother in the living room.

"Are they still sleeping?" Jason asked, switching off the laptop on his laps and placing it on the coffee table in front of him.

"Yeah" Ali took a seat next to her brother on the couch and let out a defeated sigh. "Both of them are out for the count"

"They are two VERY energetic babies" Jason chuckled softly with wide eyes.

"I tried to warn you" Ali smiled.

"Well" Jason stretched his arms high above his head and yawned. "I didn't think you were actually serious"

Ali just shook her head and smiled at her brothers words, her eyes fixed in the colourful Christmas tree in front of the window. She took a deep breath and held it for a few moments, building up the courage to say what she so badly wanted to say since she saw Emily on Friday night. "I miss her" she exhaled. "Way more than I should after what she did to me, after what she did to this family"

Jason moved his eyes from the tree in front of him to his sister and nodded at her words. "I know you do"

"Am I that bad at hiding it?" Alison rested her arm on the back of the chair and ran her fingers through her hair.

"No" Jason sighed. "You're _too_ good at hiding it. That's how I know" he looked to the blonde next to him and blew a breath of air from his cheeks. "You know Alison, you and I are just alike. When someone we love does something to break our hearts. We do everything we can to make them pay for it, even if it hurts us way more than it should in the process"

"I don't think I can keep this _not talking_ thing up any longer" Alison dropped her head back against the chair and let out an exasperated sigh. "It's taking everything I got not to cave in and try to fix things between us"

"Well then why don't you?" Jason shook his head. "What I can't understand is why you're doing this to yourself. Why aren't you hearing her out. You told me she's going to therapy like you told her too, that she's trying to talk to you every chance she gets" He paused for a moment and looked at his sister. "She's trying so why aren't you. I know your world has been turned upside down but if you want so bad to fix things between you two, then why don't you?"

"If I listen to what Emily has to say then that means we'll have to make a start in fixing this...and I don't think we can" The blonde looked down to her grey throw underneath her. "I don't think this is something we're ever going to be able to come back from"

"Well you won't know that until you try Alison"

"Yeah and what if I try and it doesn't work" She looked at her brother, her tone a lot more firm than before. "Then I'll have to suffer this whole heartbreak all over again and I'm not prepared for that. I'm not prepared to lose her for good"

"I've seen first hand how much you and Emily love each other. If you two are both willing to fix things then you will come out the other side even stronger. This will make your relationship stronger"

Ali picked at the loose thread on the couch beneath her and let her brothers words sink in.

"Right now, You and I both know this has gone on far longer than it should have" Jason continued. "I mean, It's been over two months and you still haven't even made a start in fixing things. You can only save a relationship if and only if both people want it and right now it's only one of you that does and that's Emily. And she's not going to wait around forever. She might start to doubt you'll ever forgive her and by the time you do come around and try to fix your relationship and move on from all this it will be too late. I've seen first hand how fast people move on from things. It's a Dilaurentis instinct to put up a strong front but you need to put your guard down. You need to make a start in fixing this and if you're not going to do it for you or for Emily, then do it for those two beautiful little girls upstairs"

"I just don't want her to think she's going to get away with this easily" Ali closed her eyes and sighed. "I know it's terrible but want her to suffer for what she's done"

"But you're suffering too...just as much as she is" Jason said. "I've kept quiet about the situation between you and Emily because it really is none of my business. But over the past few days I've literally watched you torture yourself. Last night after she dropped the girls over you spent most of the night in a trance and then I heard you crying in your room. This morning, I watched you stare out at the kissing rock in a supertrance, earlier I found you watching your wedding video and just twenty minutes ago I literally felt your heart break when she hung up the phone without saying goodnight. I know it hurts and it feels like your whole world has fallen apart, but just imagine how it's going to feel if Emily has given up and moved on by the time you decide to save the beautiful relationship you two have"

"You don't understand how much this hurts Jason" Ali cried, her emotions getting the better of her way to quickly. "It's not easy to just forgive and forget"

"I hate to admit it Ali but...I do" he pulled his sister close to his chest. "I know exactly how it feels to have your heart broken by someone you love"

"You do?" Ali sniffled, looking up to her brother with a questioning expression on her face.

"You remember Emma" Jason sat back on the sofa with a deep sigh before turning to face his sister again.

"The girl you met in Cambodia" the blonde wiped her hand across her tear stained face.

"Yeah" Jason nodded, his gaze held on the tree infront of him. "About a week before her best friends wedding, her ex fiance Brody showed up to be the groom's best man" he took a deep breath, preparing himself to relive the worst year of his life.

"What happened?" Ali asked after a sniffle.

"Well" Jason cleared his throath and finally made eye contact with his curious sister. "The day of the wedding he did everything he could to make sure he reminded her of all the good times they had together. That night, he kept on bringing her drinks and then he asked if he could have her for a dance. I said no but he managed to slip her out onto the dance floor anyway. After that, I pulled her outside and got so angry with her, even though it wasn't her fault. I said things I shouldn't have, things I still regret to this day" he gave himself a moment to allow his mind take him back to that horrible night outside the hotel. "I left the wedding without her and well...I guess you can figure the rest out yourself"

"God" Ali breathed out, her mouth opened in disbelief.

"About two weeks before that I had gotten two plane tickets to her hometown in Ireland which is...which is where I planned to propose to her" his voice quietened with those last few words.

"You were going to propose?" Alison's eyes widened.

"Yeah" Jason trailed off with a sigh. "The day after the wedding I told her how sorry I was and surprised her with the trip to 'see her family'" he let out a soft chuckle. "I got her father's blessing, took her to the cliffs over her favourite beach and got down on one knee but she shut me down. She told me what happened the night of the wedding, she told me how she got really drunk and went back to Brody's hotel room. He took advantage of her when she was vulnerable but I only saw the mistake she made. I know its a little different with you and Emily but You and I had the same response. I shut her out and refused to fix it until it was too late. When I was too busy hating her for what she did, she fell back in love with Brody. She spent weeks pining for me and when I finally told her I wanted her back, she didn't want me anymore. She was done waiting around. She moved on and now they're married and living in Ireland with their four year old son"

"I...I had no idea" Ali felt immessely sorry for the heartbreak she never knew her brother had to endure.

"That's when I relapsed" Jason said in a sing-songey tone, then looked to his hands for a minute and shook his head. "It was about a few months before your wedding. I turned to alcahol to drown out my emotions and everything just went downhill after that. I was such a mess" he closed his eyes and swallowed hard, the memories of that time becoming a little hard to relive. "When you called me and asked me to walk you down the aisle, that gave me the kick in the ass I needed to fix myself. You were the reason I pulled myself together and out of that dark path I was going down" He gave Ali a small smile, which she happily returned. "I was going to move back to Rosewood after that and start fresh but when I saw how happy you were at you wedding I knew I had to stay away. My life was a complete mess then and I didn't want to drag you into it. That's why I left you Ali. Thats the real reason I shut you out of my life"

Alis lips parted at her brothers words and twitched slightly as she tried to find words. She had no idea how bad Jasons life got, no idea he lost Emma the way he did, no idea he relapsed and went down a path so dark that her request for him to walk her down the aisle was the only thing that pulled him out of it. Now she understood the reason behind him shutting her out of his life. He did it because he didn't want to mess up hers. He did it because he loved her.

"I'm not telling you all this to earn your pity" Jason made his words clear before Alison could start speaking. "No...I'm telling you this because I don't want what happened to me to happen to you. I wasted so much precious time shutting Emma out and I can see your doing the exact same thing with Emily. I don't want you to make the same mistake I made with Emma and have it be too late when you try to fix things between you two"

Silence hung over them for a few moments as Ali processed everything her brother said. She didn't want what happened to Jason to happen to her. She didn't want the love of her life to move on, ever. She looked up and met Jasons concerning eyes, swallowed hard and cleared her throat before speaking "Two weeks" she said, earning a hint of a confused expression from her brother. "Two weeks is how long it's been since I realised I wanted her back but I didn't want to admit it to myself, or anyone else for that matter" Ali watched as the look of confusion on Jason face turned into a look of understandment. "When I moved back in after thanksgiving, that was when everything hit me. Suddenly I was living alone in my house, staring at her spot in the bed for hours before I could actually fall asleep, everything I did here brought back a memory and each time it hurt more and more" Ali looked arounf the living room and blew a breath of air from her cheeks. "This past weekend has been especially hard because...I know tomorrow is our anniversary" Ali looked up to the ceiling and inhaled a shaky breath. "Tomorrow...it's going to be fifteen years since I asked her to be my girlfriend at the kissing rock...and seven years since I asked her to be my wife"

"Well then why don't you make tomorrow the start of something special" Jason suggested. "The start of your road to recovery" he smiled to himself when Alison's facial expression gave away that she was actually considering it. "Go get your girl" He gave his sister a little encouragement by placing a reassuring squeese on her shoulder. "Everyone makes mistakes...but everyone also deserves a second chance"

Ali smiled at her big brother and accepted the hug he pulled her into. His words finally gave her the kick in the ass she needed to just hear Emily out and see what she has to say. Ali knew very well it was going to take baby steps before she would be able to fully forgive Emily, but atleast now she could finally admit to herself that she actually wanted to.

* * *

 **A/N: Okay, so now that you all know how the paily moment actually went, I hope you can forgive me for the cliffhanger on the last chapter. I hated writing that scene just as much as you hated reading it but it's in there for a reason. This chapter was originally apart of the last and the only reason I split it into two was because of the length. I was going to give you a double update on Monday but decided to sit with this chapter for a few days just to make sure it was the best it could be before posting it. I hope I have redeemed myself. I could go on a long rant a start defending the choices I made on the last chapter, as well as some of the ones I've already made on chapters to come, but I'm sure you'll understand why I did it all when all the puzzle starts piecing together:)**

 **Thanks for all the feedback. Please, keep it coming whether it's good or bad because I'm open to listening to whatever you have to say. Hope you like this chapter more than the last one and enjoy the rest of your day/night wherever in the world you may be:)**

 **P.S. I HATE PAILY and in no way is this a paily fanfic! I just love drama and angst in stories and that drama and angst isin't over yet. **

**Also...I'll be here until the end and I promise no negative reviews or messages will discourage me from finishing this story:)**

 **Over and out:)**


	24. All The Promises

**A/N: Happy Thursday everyone:) Thank you all so so much for all your support and hello to the new followers:) The response is amazing and I honestly never imagined people would be interested in this story. Please keep your reviews coming and make sure to follow and favourite if you haven't, it means a lot:) without further ado, here's the next chapter of Baby Steps!**

* * *

 **Chapter 24: All The Promises **

"Come on Ellie bug" Alison sat back down on her chair at the kitchen island with her fresh cup of coffee and reached both hands out to her daughter. "Let's have some breakfast" she smiled to the ruffle haired little brunette, watching as she trailed across the dining room floor, one hand rubbing her sleepy eye and the other dragging her blankie behind her. "Up to Mommy" Ali let out a little groan as she picked Ellie up and rested her on her knees, pulling the plate in the middle of the island towards her and watching as her daughters hand hovered over the chopped up toast and selection of fruit. After a few moments of contemplation, Ellie popped a strawberry into her mouth and Ali let out a soft chuckle as she watched her clap her little hands and reach for another.

The blonde put her second cup of coffee of the morning to her lips and blew on the dark liquid before taking a small sip, her eyes closed as she savoured the strong taste of the hot liquid flowing down her throat. She was running on little to no sleep and already knew this day was going to be a long one. Ali had spent the majority of her night tossing and turning in her bed, then on the living room sofa and finally on the chair in the dining room but soon gave up on the idea of a good night's sleep and just sat at the kitchen island sipping on camomile tea for over an hour. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't drift off. Her head was too full. When she finally did manage to fall into a light sleep it wasn't long before she was woken by the sound of soft murmuring and little babbles from the baby monitor. By then, sleep was just another thought at the back of her mind.

After Alison had her talk with Jason last night, her mind went into overdrive. Her brother told her exactly what she needed to hear, exactly what she had been trying to tell herself the past two weeks: She needed to talk to Emily. They needed to make a start in fixing things before it's too late. Alison wished her mind stopped there but it didn't. It then took her to the place she was really trying to avoid which was, Why did Emily do it? No matter how hard Emily tried to convince her it was a mistake and that she didn't mean it, Alison found it so hard to accept. You can't cheat on someone your in love with. You just can't do it. You wouldn't even consider doing it. That's how Alison saw it all. If Emily really loved her as much as she claimed too, then why would she sleep with someone else? And worse than that, why would she sleep with a person she was once in love with, someone she planned a future with, someone who shared her hopes and dreams. The fact that the person Emily decided to jump into bed with wasn't a stranger made the whole situation more heartbreaking.

During the night, while the blonde was laying on the living room sofa and staring at the ceiling above her, she thought back to a few of the many promises her and Emily made to each other throughout their relationship. On their first christmas as a couple, Alison gave Emily a promise ring and with that ring came the promise that she would love her forever. At the start of their relationship, when the long distance between Rosewood and California became a serious issue, they both promised each other that they wouldn't allow anything, not even 3,000 miles get between them. Back when they had their first really big fight, they made a promise to stick by each other through the hard times and most importantly, over three years ago when the girls ran into their really bad rough patch, Ali said something to Emily that she meant with every inch of her heart which was, "I promise that I am in this until the end." That last promise, that was the one that stuck out most to Ali last night. A promise is a commitment by one person to another agreeing to do something in the future, and no matter how bad things are and how hard those promises got to keep, Ali planned to stick to them, even if Emily didn't.

"M...Mommy" Ellie groaned as she reached both hands forward, unsuccessfully grabbing the pink beaker of juice from the middle of the island. "Jink Mommy"

"You want your juice" Alison looked down to her daughter and handed her the beaker, watching with a smile on her face as her little girl began sipping her juice. Ellie looked up to her Mommy and blue eyes met blue. The little beunettes mouth was stained red from the strawberries and her cheeks were covered in butter and when she saw her Mommy let out a little laugh, The one and a half year old gave her a toothy grin before picking up a piece of chopped up toast from her plate shoving it into her mouth. Alison felt her heart could burst with joy just looking at her little girl. In this whole mess, Ellie and Madison really were the rays of sunshine. No matter how bad things were right now, the twins never failed to put a smile on her face and Ali felt she at least owed it to her little girls to try to give them a happy family again.

Alison reached forward for the phone in front of her and pressed the home button, finding herself momentarily hoping there would be a missed call from Emily but the only thing she did see when the screen lit up was the time, 8:30am. By now, she knew Emily was already on the bus home from Pittsburgh which means she already saw that Ali tried to call her at 3am. After Emily hung up the phone last night, Alison had been so tempted call her back. She knew the brunette had been crying on the other side of the phone and all she wanted was to hear her voice and ask her if she was okay. She contemplated calling her many times but wouldn't allow herself too because she knew hearing from her wife would influence her decision on forgiving her and Ali felt that was a decision she needed to thoroughly think through and make herself. At 3am though, she gave in and hit the call button, hoping Emily would answer straight away. When the phone rang a few times and Emily's voicemail played through, Ali told herself that the brunette was obviously fast asleep and that was most likely the only reason she wouldn't answer, it's not like she would purposely ignore the call, that's not something she would do, especially with the efforts she had been going to lately to pull the blonde aside to talk.

Ali put the phone face down on the island with a sigh and ran her free hand through her ruffled hair. Both her and Ellie looked up when they heard the front door open and close and an excited squeal was heard from the little brunette when her aunty Hanna entered the kitchen.

"Morning ladies" Hanna's face brightened as she waved to her niece before resuming her conversation on the phone pressed to her ear.

"What do you mean they don't have a record of the cake being ordered" Hanna's eyes widened in anger. "Caleb, I went in there with Spencer over two weeks ago and we both picked it out"

Alison watched hanna stand against the kitchen counter with a pissed off expression plastered on her face and her free hand pressed firmly against her hip. "Hmm hmm" hanna nodded before rolling her eyes and slapping her hand against her thighs. "Whats her name?" she inhaled a deep breath through her nose and ran her hand along her forehead. "Well you can tell Shelly that you're not leaving that bakery without a cake thats an exact replica of the one I ordered and if she has a problem with that give her my number" the pregnant blonde spat before hanging up the phone and running her finger through her hair. "Who would have thought planning a birthday party would have been this stressful" she said to Alison, her hand waving in front of her face as she trailed towards the seat opposite the blonde and her niece.

Alison let out a small chuckle at her friends statement as she coaxed a piece of banana into her daughters mouth. "I don't know why you couldn't just plan a _small_ party at Spencer's house"

"You know the Hastings" Hanna trailed off with a soft chuckle as she swiped a piece of toast from Ellies plate and popped it in her mouth. "When they party, they go all out. Besides, it's cold and snowing outside and at least with the hall we rented we have somewhere to put a bouncy castle and a ball pit"

"That makes sense" Alison raised her brows.

"Where's Maddie" Hanna asked, helping herself to a sip of coffee out of Ali's mug.

"She's still fast asleep" Ali ran her fingers through the back of her daughters ruffled curls.

"Your sister loves her beauty rest, Ellie. Doesn't she" Hanna squealed to her babbling niece. "She's not an early bird like you, huh?"

Ali smiled at the sound of giggles and gurgles coming from her daughter and planted a little kiss on her head, breathing in the smell of baby shampoo that had become her favourite smell right after her two little girls had their first bath.

"Oh yeah" Hanna looked up as she was hit with a wave of realisation. "I actually called to see if Jason is around. I was going to ask him if he is willing to help Toby and Ezra finish setting up the hall. Caleb and Noah are gone to collect the cake and balloons so we're two men down"

"Yeah he's just in from his run" Ali said. "He should be out of the shower any minute"

"I'll just finish your coffee while I'm waiting so" hanna said over the cup pressed against her lips.

"I've drank too much of that so far this morning anyway"

"Struggling to stay awake?" Hanna rolled her eyes in understanding.

"Yeah" Alison exhaled a deep breath as she let her squirming daughter out of her arms and watched her waddle through the dining room. "I haven't slept all night"

"Everything okay" Hanna gave a concerned look.

Alison gave a weak nod and looked down at the rings she had put back on her fingers the night before, which didn't go unnoticed by the other blonde in the room.

"Ali" the blonde reached her hand forward and gave her friends arm a reassuring squeeze. "You can talk to me"

"I'm uhm...I'm going to talk to Emily today" she looked up after a few moments of silence, finally making eye contact with the blonde in front of her. "And before you try to tell me not too, I've already made up my mind. Trust me, whatever you have to say I've already told myself 100 times last night. I know what she did was wrong but….I just, I want to at least try to forgive her"

Hanna let out a soft sigh and stared at the coffee cup between her hands. "I think you should….forgive her"

Ali looked at the blonde in front of her with furrowed brows because that is definitely not the reaction she was expecting.

"I would say you deserve someone better but the truth is there's no way you'll ever find anyone better than her" Hanna ran her finger along the top of the mug, her eyes fixed on the last drop of dark liquid. "Yes, she made a mistake...a huge one but who hasn't" The blonde brought her eyes up to meet Alison's. "No one deserves to be scrutinised over one mistake. It shouldn't define the rest of their life"

"I want to forgive her...I really do and I'm going to try" Alison trailed off, looking over to her daughter in the corner of the room waddling around with her blankie dragged behind her and her thumb in her mouth. "It's just….i'm afraid incase this is something we're not going to be able to get past"

Hanna blew a breath of air and looked at her intertwining fingers. "Look, Ali, I'm not going to sit here and give you my opinion on what I think about your decision because it's none of my business. It's no ones but your own" Hanna tapped her index finger on the island. "All I will tell you is that you need to follow your heart and let love take its course, because no love is stronger than yours and Emily's and personally, I have no doubt that you'll get through this"

* * *

" _I have to...I need to get home" Emily pulled out her phone and began dialling the blondes number. "I need to talk to her"_

" _No" Paige trailed off with a hiccup as she grabbed the phone from the brunettes weak grip. "No...no texting while you're drunk"_

" _I need my phone Paige" Emily's right leg slipped off the chair and she stumbled forward into her ex's arms, knocking two empty shot glasses and a half full margarita all over the counter._

" _You need to get her out of here" the pissed off barman hissed for the second time in the past five minutes as he swiped his dirty rag across the counter to wipe up the quickly flowing liquid._

" _I'll just have one more for the road" Emily held up her hand as she regained her balance and stood up straight._

" _I suggest you to leave voluntarily or I'll have to escort you out myself" the middle aged, bald man pointed to both Paige and Emily, keeping his expression cold and hard._

" _Jeez" Paige shot up, scraping her chair along the floor as she did so. "I heard you the first time, give us a chance"_

 _The barman stood behind the counter with his arms folded firmly in front if his chest, ignoring the spiteful glare Paige had held on him. The red head then took a big step forward, unbeknownst to Emily who was holding onto her shoulder for balance. The brunette kicked her foot forward to try to save herself but instead, she stumbled sideways into Paige who pulled her against her chest to save her._

" _Whoops" Paige breathed out, her body pressed against Emilys and her hands gripped onto the back of the brunettes arms. "You okay?"_

 _Emily held Paige's gaze for a few moments as she swayed back and forth, both their faces just inches away from each other as she observed how the redhead's eyes grew darker and darker the longer she started into them._

Emily shot her eyes open as her heavy breaths echoed through the quiet bus. She could feel the cold sweat dripping from her forehead and her pulse was racing like a train on the tracks. She leaned both hands on the back of the seat in front of her and dropped her head, taking a few moments to gather herself from yet another dream about Paige. She pulled herself up and scanned her eyes around the bus, observing that like her, many of the students had fallen asleep and those who were awake could barely keep their eyes open. Emily's eyes then landed on Paige, who was occupying the seat right across the aisle from her and just sitting there, staring with furrowed brows.

"You okay?" Paige asked, dropping the magazine in her hands onto her knees.

' _You okay'_ replayed in Emily's head as her mind flashed back to the dream, the part where she fell into her ex's arms.

"Emily" Paige leaned forward and held the top of the chair in front of her for support, gazing at the heavy breathing, wide eyes brunette across from her but failing to get a response. "Emily, Are you okay?"

"W...What" Emily breathed out before clearing her throat.

"I asked if you're okay"

The brunette closed her eyes and sunk back into her chair, leaving out a deep, shaky breath. She nodded her head weakly and bit down on her bottom lip, her nostrils flaring as some much needed oxygen filled her body. She reluctantly opened her eyes and looked down to the phone on the seat next to her to see the time was just passing 8:30am. _Great_ she thought to herself. _Just...great. I don't sleep all night long and the ten minutes of sleep I do manage to fit in are cut short by another dream about Paige._ The brunette put her hand to her stomach and clutched it hard, hoping to settle the sick feeling that had taken over her body. This always happened when she didn't sleep, she got this weird feeling in her stomach but this time the weird feeling wasn't just from lack of sleep.

After Ali called last night, Emily had burst into tears right after she hung up the phone and was a complete mess for about an hour afterwards. She spent the night completely lost in her thoughts, mostly wondering what the hell was going in in her head and why she had such a horrible daydream about Paige. She couldn't even bring herself to answer the phone when Ali called her at 3am. This weekend, between her thoughts and her therapy session with Dr Evans, Emily found out things about herself that she didn't want to, things that gave her a sick feeling to her stomach, things that made her feel like a coward, things that she wanted to bury deep in the back of her mind and leave there forever.

* * *

It was a little after 11am when Ali drove up to RHS in her car. Pam had called a little while before to collect the twins and spend some time with them before the party and since Jason had left with Hanna at 9 to help set up the hall, Ali was all alone in her house with nothing to do but think. She had initially planned to catch Emily during the party and talk to her then but that would mean an audience and if things got heated which she hoped they wouldn't, she didn't want to be held accountable for bringing gunfire to Havens second birthday party. She decided instead to just pick Emily up from the school and talk to her back at the house in a civilised manner with no audience and hopefully, no gunfire.

Ali parked her car in the car park right next to Emily's with a perfect view of the outside of the school where the bus was due to pull up. She looked out the window to the cold winters day and a little smile graced her face as she watched the tiny snowflakes drop onto the ground. Snow wasn't her favourite thing about winter but it certainly was Emily's. This winter had been a lot warmer than previous ones and last night, the first snowdrop fell from the sky. She imagined what Emily's reaction was when she saw it and left a small chuckle as she thought back to one morning last year at the start of December when they woke up to a fresh blanket of snow.

" _Ali" Emily nudged her wife repeatedly, each time with more force. "Ali wake up, quick"_

" _What" Ali groaned into her pillow._

" _Alison, wake up, quick" Emily left an excited squeal and ran over to the window with her seven month old daughter in her arms._

" _What's wrong" Ali jerked her head up when she heard the squeal and the brunettes breathless voice. Panic immediately taking over._

" _It's snowing" Emily bounced Ellie on her hip and pointed out the window to the fresh blanket of snow that had fallen overnight. "Quick, Get Maddie from the crib and bring her over"_

 _Without hesitation, Ali quickly sat up from the bed and reached into the crib next to her for her gurgling and squirming daughter. "Morning Maddie bear" she cooed with a wide smile as she picked her up. "It's snowing baby girl. Your first snow day"_

" _Have a look" Emily reached her free arm out to her wife who was quickly trailing towards her "It's magical"_

 _Ali stood beside the brunette and smiled as the tanned hand found its way around her back to pull her closer. She gave Emily a dimpled smile and moved her eyes to the view outside the window straight ahead. Magical definitely was the only word to describe the view outside, magical just like her life._

Alison smiled at the memory of that day and let out a soft chuckle just thinking back to how excited Emily was, how happy they both were as they watched their daughter sit in the snow with their snowsuits and observe the white magic they had never seen before.

The blonde sat back in her seat and placed her hands in front of the heater to heat them up, wringing them around each other and rubbing them together to create friction. Her eyes froze in place when she saw the bus pull up outside the school and she shuffled in her seat, her nerves suddenly settling in and her heart beating at a pace that was much faster than a few minutes ago. She felt the familiar butterflies in her stomach that she had felt the night all this years ago when she claimed Emily for herself in the nightclub. The butterflies she felt when she gave Emily the promise ring on their first Christmas as a couple, the butterflies she felt when she proposed to her wife at the kissing rock and the same butterflies she felt when she said the words that made her become Emily's wife. All those times she felt butterflies as intense as these were very special moments in their relationship, each time it was the start of something, new beginnings, almost. And that's exactly what today was, a new beginning.

She saw Emily step out of the bus with a frown on her face, barely taking notice of the white snow on the ground beneath her. With heavy steps, the brunette walked a few feet away from the bus and stood there with folded arms, nodding to all the swimmers that waved at her as they filed out of the bus. Ali had to admit, Emily looked like crap. She squinted her eyes to get a better look at her and her heart broke as she did. The brunettes hair was ruffled, her face was pale and she had dark circles surrounding her eyes. She looked a lot worse that she did on Friday night when she dropped the twins off, and on Friday night she looked broken.

Ali took a deep breath and tried to tell herself that they could sort this out, that they could get through this and find happiness again. Her pulse was still rapid and she clutched the steering wheel harder, reassuring herself that there was nothing to be nervous about. All she had to do was tell Emily how she really felt about their relationship, that she wanted to fix it. She knew exactly what she needed to say and she might be nervous now, but when she comes face to face with her wife, she knew those nerves would disappear and be replaced with that same warm feeling she got anytime she was near the brunette.

The blonde closed her eyes and blew out a breath of air from her cheeks before reaching forward and turning up the radio to distract her while she waited for Emily to walk over towards the car. Once the song started playing Ali immediately froze. The lyrics that filled her ears were those to hers and Emily's favourite song, 'Heaven' by Bryan Adams.

 _Oh thinkin' about all our younger years_

 _There was only you and me_

 _We were young and wild and free_

Ali's eyes slowly trailed from the radio to her wife and her whole face dropped. Walking out of the bus and towards the brunette was the last person she expected to see right now. Paige McCullers.

 _Now nothin' can take you away from me_

 _We've been down that road before_

 _But that's over now_

 _You keep me comin' back for more_

The blonde felt her breath hitch as she watched Emily and Paige engage in an intense conversation before the brunette looked around suspiciously, grabbed the redhead by the arm and pulled her into through the side entrance for the pool.

 _Baby, you're all that I want_

 _When you're lyin' here in my arms_

 _I'm findin' it hard to believe_

 _We're in heaven_

 _And love is all that I need_

 _And I found it there in your heart_

 _It isn't too hard to see_

 _We're in heaven_

* * *

 **A/N: I know….another cliffhanger. What did you think of it? At the start, I gave you a little insight to how Ali was feeling after her talk with Jason and I think that was very important, both for her and for you guys. She's finally coming to terms with her feeling and accepting that she wants to move on. And how about Hanna's reaction? Through this story Hanna and Ali definitely have had their fair share of heart to hearts and Hanna has always been quick to voice her opinion, but this is something she's letting Ali figure out for herself and I think that's important. The real question now is what's going to happen next? Fight or flight? Do you think Ali will go inside the school and see what's going on or will she leave? Let me know what you think:) The next chapter is going to take place at the birthday party and it's going to be a very important chapter for our girls. Have a great week:)**


	25. Can't Fight This Feeling

**A/N: Happy Pride Month Everyone! Here's the next installment of Baby Steps. Hope you enjoy. See you at the bottom:)**

* * *

 **Chapter 25: Can't Fight This Feeling**

Emily stood a few feet away from the bus, her arms folded in front of her chest while nodding her head to all the swimmers that waved her goodbye as they passed. Tiny droplets of snow fell on the ground before her which would usually send her into hyperactive mode, but today, she took no notice of it. Snow was the last thing on her mind right now.

She inhaled a deep breath and licked her dry and chapped lips to moisten them. Her eyes felt heavy and that sick feeling was still present in the pit of her stomach. To say she was exhausted was an understatement. The only sleep she managed to get all night was those ten minutes on the bus and that was cut short by another dream starting a certain redhead that seemed to be the prime person of her thoughts these past two days. When she saw Paige step out of the bus, Emily knew now was her chance to talk to her. Now was the perfect time to ask her the questions she couldn't answer herself. The questions that she had been asking herself since her therapy session on Friday afternoon. All those questions that swirled around in her head and kept her awake the night before.

"Can I talk to you?" The words spilled out of Emily's mouth as the red head walked towards her. Her expression was pleading and Paige instantly noticed it.

"Talk to me?" Paige's eyes widened slightly.

"Yes" Emily choked out the words and nodded her head before swallowing hard.

"Uhm, S..Sure" Paige agreed with a hint of hesitation, mainly because she had no idea what it was Emily wanted to talk to her about. Immediately, one possibility of the topic of conversation that could be had by the two in a few moments stood out to the red head, and sure enough, it made her pulse pick up its pace.

Emily scanned her eyes around her for a few seconds. A conversation out in the open with Paige was not something she wanted to be engaging in right now, but she felt like she had no other choice. She needed her burning questions to be answered, she needed all that lost time from that night to be filled in. She didn't remember any of it. The last thing that stood out to her was a vague image of her falling forward on the toilet bowl, then downing a shot of tequila with Paige once she returned to her stool. But that was it. Everything after that was a black hole. She couldn't remember when she left the bar with Paige, or why she left with her. She couldn't even remember committing the act that ruined her relationship. It was hard for her to even believe that she did it. Because she never thought that was something she would do. No matter how hard things had got in hers and Alison's Marriage, she never imagined herself talking the easy way out by sleeping with her ex. That's not the type of person she was. But then again, drunk Emily is very impulsive and spontaneous. Drunk Emily does thing sober Emily wouldn't dare to.

The brunette felt paranoia settle in at the thought of being seen with her ex. She knew Aria sometimes held revision classes on Sundays and Toby always passed the school in the patrol car on the way to the station. The chances of her been seen were slim to none, but Emily still felt the need to go somewhere more private.

"Inside" the brunette grabbed her ex by the arm and lead her in through the side entrance to the school.

Once inside, Paige leaned against the wall and Emily stood in front of her with folded arms.

"That night" Emily started off, only to be interrupted by a group of loud teenage boys running through the hall and m down to the changing rooms after lacrosse practice. Emily looked around and noticed a staff member down the hall, then let out a deep sigh as her eyes landed back on her ex. "Not here" She grabbed Paige's arm again, but Paige tensed her body and pressed all her weight against the wall, preventing Emily from pulling her around the corner. "What are you doing?" Emily yanked the red heads arm once more, but was unsuccessful in her efforts to move her to the desired destination.

"I have somewhere to be" Paige tried to get away but Emily grabbed her by the hand again to stop her, this time, succeeding in getting her to move a few steps around the corner.

"What happened that night?" Emily blurted out, not giving Paige a chance to speak.

"Emily" Paige sighed and tried to leave once again. "I don't want to talk about this right now"

"Well, you are" The words came out of Emily's mouth with a lot more anger and frustration than she expected. "I didn't want to you talk last night either but you gave me no choice. So now, I'm not giving you one"

Paige pressed her head against the wall and closed her eyes, leaving a deep, defeated sigh escape her lips.

"About a week after that night in the bar, you came to my house. Remember, you left with a black eye" Emily's eyes widened as she recalled the encounter between her wife and her ex outside her house.

Paige rolled her eyes and forced out the word "Yes"

"What did you come there to say to me?" the brunette let out a shaky breath, preparing herself for what Paige could say. Her exes words from that evening slipped her mind, but the last few hours of the bus drive, that entire conversation, along with almost every other one with Paige since then replayed in her head. She knew Paige came to her house that day to tell her something. Emily just wanted to know what about that night was so important that her ex decided to make a house call knowing the likely possibility that she could run into Ali as she did so.

"I...I can't remember" Paige said in a low voice after a moment of hesitation, her eyes refusing to meet Emily's.

"You were so adimind to tell me something about that night. You asked me how much of it I actually remember" Emily shook her head, her brows furrowed in confusion. "Why did you mean by that?"

Paige exhaled a deep breath and held her gaze on the classroom door behind Emily's head. Dead silence hung over them.

"Paige" Emily's voice raised slightly.

"What?" Paige finally made eye contact with the brunette.

"What did you want to tell me?" Emily waited for Paige to answer, but by the looks it, it didn't seem like she was going to be getting one anytime soon. "What do you remember...from that night" the brunette asked. "Because I can't remember any of it. I mean, do you remember us leaving the bar? Do you remember us getting into bed together? Do you remember why the hell we did it?" she watched Paige leave out a slightly frustrated groan. "Goddammit Paige, answer me!"

"I...I don't remember" the redhead blurted out, her head shaking as the questions began to fluster her. "Just like you. I don't remember any of it"

"Well then what was it you wanted to tell me?" Emily ran her free hand through her ruffled hair, her other one still gripping Paige's arm. "I mean, what gave you the audacity to call to my house after what happened between us. You knew you weren't exactly going to be welcomed in with opened arms, but you came anyway"

"It's not important anymore" Paige squirmed out of the hold her ex had on and folded her arms defensively in front of her chest. "Forget about it...okay. Just forget it"

"I can't forget about it Paige" Emily shook her head, holding her arms out in front of her before smacking them on her thighs "I can't ever forget about anything to do with the one mistake that has ruined my relationship with Alison. My relationship with my family...my friends...Everyone. I haven't spoke to my Mom in weeks, My dad is overseas and I bet he's just so proud of his daughter right now" the words rolled off Emily's tongue soaked in sarcasm. "All my friends hate me, I don't even live with my family anymore" she trailed off with a shaky breath. Just saying out loud how shitty her life has gotten made the tears threatening her eyes become almost impossible to hold back. "And Alison…" She looked to the floor and shut her eyes closed. Saying Alison's name just hurt so much because everytime she said it, she was reminded of what she done that permanently wiped that bright spark that always lit up her wifes icy blue eyes. "She won't talk to me. She can barely look at me. Hell, I can't look at her without being reminded of what I've done" Emily swallowed hard, taking a deep breath to contain the emotions she felt could spill out at any moment. "I...I don't think Alison will ever forgive me for what I've done. I don't expect her too...I can't even forgive myself so...why should she?"

Paige's lips parted slightly as if she was about to say something but after a moment of contemplation, she pressed them closed again and forced a breath through her nose. Her eyes glanced everywhere but the brunette in front of her and Emily's jaw clenched in anger as she watched her ex completely ignore her.

"I have to go" were the only words Paige spoke before turning around and pacing up the hall towards the gym, leaving Emily standing there, watching her completely disappear out of sight.

Now, Emily's head wasn't cleared of the questions she had, more were just added to it. The brunette shook her head weakly and stormed away in the opposite direction back out the door she entered with Paige, unbeknownst to her that a certain blonde heard every word of the conversation she had with her ex.

From the doorway Alison was hiding in, she held her breath and tensed up as Emily walked passed her. She watched as the brunette stormed down the hall and out the side door. Alison contemplated her next move for a moment. She didn't know whether to go after Paige and give her a piece of her mind, or follow Emily out to her car. Emily's car seemed like the safer option, not because she didn't want to get caught by some staff member having a heated argument with the athletic department supervisor, but because she wanted to catch Emily before she left. She didn't exactly know what she was going to say when she was face to face with the brunette. She was still absorbing everything she had just overheard between the exes. All she knew was that right now, she needed to see Emily.

Alison followed the brunette outside and stood by the side door, watching Emily take off in her car, completely oblivious to the fact that Alison's was parked two spots away from hers. The blonde picked up her pace and followed after the brunette, but by the time she reached the road Emily's car was already out of sight.

* * *

Alison stood in front if the refreshments table, a glass of water in hand as she glanced around the hall. She spotted Caleb near the ball pit soothing a winging Evie, Ezra not far away with his arm around Aria, both of them smiling proudly at their daughter dancing along to the music with the birthday girl. She then saw Hanna just a few feet away, her hand rubbing small circles on her pregnant belly as she talked animatedly to her mom, Spencer and Veronica who all gathered around her. And then finally, Alison's eyes landed on her brother whose face was beaming with happiness along with Pams, both of them watching Ellie and Madison jumping hand in hand around the little bouncy castle. A smile from ear to ear graced Alison's face watching her little girls play. The last time she saw them on a bouncy castle was their first birthday party, back when they couldn't even walk, or talk for that matter. They just crawled and babbled the whole day long. It amazed Alison how fast they've grown. The time really did fly. It felt like yesterday her and Emily were bringing them home from the hospital, giving them their first bath, reading them their first bedtime story and singing them to sleep for the first time. Watching them develop their own little personalities and inherit all of Emily's little features made the blonde feel as if her heart could burst with joy. She didn't know what she would do without them, or why she ever denied Emily children because honestly, those two little girls were one of the best things that ever happened to her.

The blonde pulled her gaze from the adorable scene unfolding on the bouncy castle and looked around once more for Emily who was still nowhere in sight. Earlier this morning, after she watched Emily's car disappear around the corner, she got in her own and planned to follow the brunette back to the brew but a phone call from Hanna changed her plans completely. Instead, the blonde convinced Alison to travel out of her way to a cake shop in Philly that was willing to make a cake that was an exact replica of the one Hanna thought she ordered a few weeks before. After an intense phone argument with the bakery employee, Shelly, Hanna had to admit that it wasn't them who forgot to make the order, it was her who forgot to place it.

Alison spent the drive to Philly replaying Emily and Paige's conversation in her head. In a way, she was kind of thankful that Hanna convinced her she was the only one she trusted to bring back the cake in one piece, because it gave her time to think. Not that she didn't have enough time to do that last night, because she did, she had plenty. She just felt she needed to process everything she overheard between Emily and Paige. It was a lot to take in. When she first saw Emily dragging Paige into the school, she didn't know what to do. In one way, she felt she really needed to go see what was going on between them, but in another, she didn't think she wanted to. All she could do for those few moments of contemplation was allow her mind to run her through the series of scenarios she imagined she could witness which started at a work related conversation about the swim meet and ended with a quickie in a locked classroom. Alison wanted to believe that there was nothing going on between Emily and Paige, but the last time Emily assured her about that, the exes had almost kissed a few hours before and then got into bed together a few hours after.

Alison's thoughts became overwhelming and curiosity got the better of her. Before she knew it, her legs were taking her inside the school. She slowly opened the door and braced herself for what she could witness, but when she did walk inside there was noone insight. She kept walking but had to jump back before rounding the corner, because that's where the brunette and redhead were. The questions Alison heard Emily ask Paige, for some reason, gave her a twinge of relief. Not that there was anything to be relieved about at the fact her wife slept with her ex, she felt relief that Emily couldn't remember it. In no way did Emily show love towards Paige's with that conversation, if anything, it was anger. Anger that Paige wouldn't answer her questions, anger at herself for what she done.

Alison could almost feel her heart pine for her wife when she heard her words to Paige. When she told Paige about how everyone she loved hated her and how she didn't think Alison would ever forgive her, those words gave Alison the need to turn that corner and tell Emily that everything was going to be okay, that they were going to get through this, that one day in the future, all this will be behind them. One day, Alison just may be able to forgive the brunette for what she's done. The only thing that stopped Alison from going over and interrupting the conversation was the need to know more, she wanted to know what it was Paige wanted to say, almost as much as Emily did. That day when she walked in on Paige and Emily in her house, she thought there was something going on. She thought it was some sick kind of date, but it turns out Emily was telling the truth. Paige did just show up at the house to talk to Emily, and when Ali walked in on them, Paige wanted to talk to her too. But Alison never gave her the chance. She was just so pissed off that she walked in on the two of them that she didn't hear either of them out. She jumped to conclusions and lit up a fire with her accusations. But after what Emily and Paige did a few nights before, she didn't blame herself for freaking out and thinking the worst.

All Alison wanted right now was to talk to Emily, but it didn't seem like Emily was rushing to make any sort of appearance at this party. Overhearing...well more like snooping on Paige and Emily's conversation, Alison knew without a doubt that she wanted to hear Emily out and see what she had too say. Maybe it would all be worth it because before today, Alison thought Emily jumped into bed with Paige out of spite. She thought the brunette meant it all, despite her continuous assurance that she didn't. She thought Emily using the excuse of being drunk was just covering up her mistake but now Alison knew that's all it was...it was a mistake. An unforgivable, but forgivable mistake.

The loud rumbling of the blondes stomach broke her from her thoughts and reminded her that the only thing she had filled her stomach with today was two cups of coffee and a few sips of the water Toby had given her just minutes before. She placed her hand over her the clothing that covered her belly and pressed the glass to her lips, dropping her head back and finishing it all in one gulp. Suddenly a dizzy spell washed over her and she felt her balance get a little wobbly. Her breathing became heavy and a cold sweat broke out on her forehead. She heard a muffled voice beside her and she could barely make out what they were saying, but trusted the hold they had her in as they guided her to what she soon realised was a chair. Black spots covered her line of vision and a sick feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. With the assistance of whoever was standing beside her, Alison's head went between her legs and she felt small circles being rubbed on her back. Her lack of sleep, combined with the fact that she hadn't eaten all day made her feel like absolute shit. The blonde raised her head and could just make out the blurred figure of a brunette woman kneeling in front of her, but that brunette gently pushed her head back down between her legs.

After what felt like an eternity, Alison heard the voices around her unmuffle, noticed her vision become clearer and felt her tense body relax. She slowly raised her head and was a little taken back when she saw the unfamiliar face that knelt down in front of her.

"You scared me there for a second" The brunette woman widened her round eyes, giving Alison a bright smile.

Alison had to admit, the woman in front of her was like a Sara Sampaio look alike. The very same wavy brunette hair, defined jawline and cheekbones, even the slightly husky voice. The blonde felt her cheeks become flushed with embarrassment and she looked around her, extremely thankful that no one else noticed that she almost passed out in the arms of a complete stranger. "I'm sorry" she breathed out. "I guess running around on an empty stomach isn't the wisest idea"

"Definitely not" the woman agreed, placing her hand on Alison's thigh. "Your okay now, right?"

"Yeah" Alison cleared her throat and looked down to the woman's hand, noticing how she was running small circles on her thigh with her thumb. A moment of awkward silence fell over them and when they made eye contact again, the brunette woman broke the silence by extending her hand to the blonde.

"I'm Zoey"

"Alison" the blonde took the brunettes hand in hers and shook it.

"I know" Zoey smiled.

Alison furrowed her brows slightly at the brunettes words.

"Sorry" Zoey let out a soft chuckle and shook her head. "I'm not a stalker or anything. I'm Toby's friend. I asked about you earlier and he told your best friends with him and his wife"

"Oh, Yeah" Alison smiled. "We go way back"

"I think it's probably a good idea if we get you some water and fill your empty stomach up with some food" Zoey suggested.

"Yeah" Alison gave a week nod, the sick feeling in her stomach still present. She went to stand up but Zoey stopped her.

"You wait there" the brunette placed a reassuring squeeze on the blondes shoulder. "I'll get you something nice"

"Thanks" Alison watched as Zoey took a few steps towards the food filled table and that's when she noticed the Rosewood PD uniform she was wearing. Alison observed how Zoey placed her finger on her pursed her lips the exact same way Emily did when she was indecisive about something. That was always a little trait of Emily's that Alison loved. The tall brunette hovered her hand over the assortment of food that ranged from impenadas to chicken nuggets, popping what looked to Alison like a stuffed mushroom into her mouth. Once she had the plate filled with her desired amount of food, she made her way back to Alison and pulled over a chair to sit next to her.

"Try the stuffed mushrooms" Zoey handed Alison the plate. "They're amazing" she rubbed her hands together, then smoothed out her uniform top to get rid of the crumbs that had fallen onto it.

Alison picked up a stuffed mushroom and took a bite, her eyes widening as the flavours hit her taste buds.

Zoey smiled brightly to the blonde. "Now try them with the garlic mayonnaise"

Ali dipped the remaining bite size piece of her stuffed mushroom into the garlic mayonnaise on the side of the plate and popped it on her mouth. She dropped her head and closed her eyes, savouring the amazing taste of her first piece of food of the day.

"Amazing, huh?" a little chuckle left Zoey's mouth.

"Hmm" Ali nodded, her mouth filled with the second garlic mushroom she stuffed had into it. The blonde felt ravenous and wanted to inhale the contents of her plate, but felt she needed to be polite in front of Zoey so she reluctantly took bite sized pieces of the food that made her taste buds dance.

"You've got a little" Zoey pointed to the dap of garlic mayonnaise on the corner of Alison's mouth.

Alison swiped her tissue across over her mouth, but was unsuccessful in removing the mayo on the side of her face.

"Here, let me" Zoey reached her hand forward and wiped her thumb over Alison's lips and the corner of her mouth. "There...all better"

"Thanks" Alison cleared her throat and looked back down to her plate of food. After a few moments, her eyes then moved back up to Zoey who was staring into the distance. "So, you work with Toby?"

"I guess the uniform was a give away, huh?" She tossed back the last of the contents from her glass of orange and placed it on the floor next to her. "I'm a new transfer. Just moved here from Philly about two weeks ago"

"Really?" Alison asked, willing the brunette in front of her to continue speaking.

"He's been helping me find my footing. I'm just between shifts so I said I'd pop by and wish Haven a happy birthday"

"That was sweet of you" Alison said.

Zoey left out a soft chuckle and wiped her hands up and down her pants. She opened her mouth to speak, but was immediately cut off when she heard her name being called form the corner of the room.

"Carson" Toby called out. "Come here, I have someone I want you to meet"

"I guess that's my que to go" Zoey gave Ali a sad smile. "You sure you're okay" she asked.

"I'm fine" Ali nodded. "Thanks"

"No problem" the brunette stood up from her chair. "I guess I'll see you around then"

"Sure" Alison nodded enthusiastically to the brunette standing in front of her.

"Carson" Toby repeated before nudging man beside him and breaking into a fit of laughter.

"Hold onto your knickers Cavanaugh, I'm coming" she rolled her eyes jokingly as she made her way towards her boss.

Alison watched as Zoey trailed towards Toby and extend her hand to the man next to him. She then dropped her head back in laughter at whatever they were saying and shook her head at Toby as conversation between them continued. Ali was quickly broken from her gaze by the soft winging from her little girl that was slowly trailing towards her with both arms held out.

Alison put her plate to the floor and reached forward for Madison. "You okay sweetie?"

"Wey Mama" the one and a half year old pouted out her bottom lip, her eyes shiny as tears welled up in them.

"Mama will be here soon" Ali cooed. "It's okay"

"Wan Mama, now" Maddie cries got louder and louder and Ali rocked her back and forth to try to soothe her. Maddie seemed to be missing Emily a lot lately when they were apart, both of her little girls did. She noticed that Emily would drop them off and they'd be fine for a while, but then they'd notice she's not there and when that happened, Ellie tended to act out and demand to see her Mama, while Maddie would burst into tears. It was hard for them having to adjust to both their mommies living apart and Ali knew they would probably never get used to it.

Maddie gripped onto Ali's shirt and nestled her head into her neck, pining for her mama over and over again. That was when Ali reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. Emily had surpassed the point of being late about a half an hour ago, it didn't seem like she was going to show up at all. Not only did Maddie need her Mama right now, Ali needed her wife so she dialed Emily's number and put her phone to her ear. After the phone rang through a few time Ali hung up and called it again, but there was still no answer from the brunette.

* * *

With folded arms, Hanna held her gaze on Alison and Maddie near the refreshments table. Her niece was clearly distressed, and Alison seemed to be too. She guessed the person Ali was trying to reach on the phone was Emily, and figured the reason she was trying to reach her was to ask why she wasn't there yet. Alison wasn't the only one wondering that, Hanna was too. Since her little talk with Ali earlier that morning, the anticipation for the Emison reunion was real. Hanna knew how much love those two had for each other, and although she hated Emily for what she did, she believed that if Alison could forgive her, then she could too. She just couldn't wait for the two too sort things out. Both of them were clearly suffering and the blonde just hoped that her friends would be able to find comfort in each other and get through this. Even love stories as beautiful as Alison and Emily's have rough patches. But they also have happy endings, and that's all Hanna wished for her friends...A happy ending.

When Ali told Hanna about her decision to talk to Emily, Hanna didn't give her opinion on it, she just accepted that Alison wanted this whole ordeal to be done with. She just wanted to get past it. And Hanna accepted that. She didn't want her opinion to sway Alison's decision, this was something alison needed to figure out herself. And if Alison was happy, then so was she.

The blonde pulled her gaze from Ali and Maddison and turned to Spencer next to her. "Emily still hasn't shown up"

Spencer nodded her head and pressed her glass of orange to her lips. "Maybe that's for the best"

"What do you mean by that?" Hanna furrowed her brows, her tone slightly defensive.

"Forget I said anything" Spencer rolled her eyes and looked away, her arms folded firmly in front if her chest.

"Her invite wasn't lost in the mail or anything, was it?" Hanna raised her eyebrows in question.

Spencer moved her eyes away from hanna and swirled the orange in the wine glass between her fingers.

Hanna looked up to the distracted lawyer and she let out a deep sigh. "Did you not invite Emily to the party?"

"No...I mean I...Yeah. I did invite her" Spencer fixed her posture and ran her finger along the rim of her glass. "I just made it clear that she was better off staying away"

"Well can you make that unclear. Please" Hanna said in a demanding tone.

"Why" Spencer scrunched her face in confusion. "She _is_ better off staying away"

"But Ali just wants to talk to her"

"Yeah, well their _talks_ haven't been ending too well lately and I'm not letting their arguing ruin my daughters birthday party" Spencer widened her eyes to the blonde next to her. "The last time they were in a room together for longer than an hour was thanksgiving and we all know how that turned out"

"They won't argue, Spencer. Ali wants to sort through this, not make it worse. She wants to talk to Emily, for the first time in a while. Can't you just accept that?"

"No hanna, I Can't" Spencer ran her rand through her hair and smacked it off her thigh. "She cheated on Alison...with Paige. Of all people, Paige!"

"I know that, but what's done is done" Hannas tone was in no way friendly. "You have your opinions on it and trust me...so do I. But keep them to yourself, just like I have. This is none of our business. What Ali decided to do is her choice, no one else's"

"Where is this coming from?" Spencer huffed in disbelief. "I mean, last time I heard, you were team Ali"

"There is no team Ali or Team Emily Spencer" Hanna scoffed. "There's team Emison. And i'm rooting for that.

"Emison?" Spencer furrowed her brows

"Emily and Alison...Emison. Hanna and caleb...Haleb. Ezra and Ari…."

"Okay I get it" the lawyer held out her hand to stop the blonde from continuing.

"Good, So now make it clear to Emily that she's welcome. And please...don't say anything to her once she's here. After today is over and the two of them have talked it out, you can do whatever you want"

Spencer exhaled deeply through her nose and looked to the wall straight ahead. She didn't exactly agree with what Hanna was saying but she keep her cool. As much as her inner lawyer wanted to lash out and hit Hanna with the cold hard facts, the facts that were in no way Emily deserved forgiveness. She kept it to herself because right now, this is not something she wanted to be arguing about, especially not at her daughter's birthday party. She just trusted that Alison and Emily could keep it civilised for once and typed the message Hanna was waiting for her to type.

' **Stop by the party, have a slice of cake, maybe a taste of one of the waiters while your at it"**

Hanna looked at the screen and glared at Spencer. Then shook her head in disapproval, grabbed the phone, erased the message and began typing her own.

' **Were all wondering why you haven't shown up yet. Get your ass over here, there's a slice of cake waiting for you:)' -Spence.**

* * *

Alison stood outside the door of the apartment above the brew, not completely sure of what to expect when she walked inside. She had no idea if Emily was even home or why exactly she had been ignoring her calls and texts. The blonde had spent the best part of twenty minutes trying to soothe an extremely fussy Maddie and was more than relieved when Jason managed to to it with the help of a bubble machine. With both her daughters safe under the watchful eye of Pam and Jason, Ali got in her car and made her the brunettes apartment to see what was up.

The blonde placed a few gentle knocks on the apartment door and waited, then a few more knocks with a little more force, but still now answer. She reached into the handbag on her shoulder and pulled out the spear key Aria had given her, put it in the door and turned it before pushing through into the apartment. Complete silence hung over her the minute she stepped inside and her she felt her heart break at the sight on the sofa in front of her.

Ali took a few more steps inside and closed the door behind her. She dropped her bag to the floor, pulled off her gloves and quickly slipped out of her beige winter Jacket. She trailed towards the sleeping brunette who was still dressed in the clothes from earlier. Emily was curled up on the sofa, her knees pulled against her chest and a photo held close to her heart. A few scrunched up tissues were scattered around her and Ali could still see dry tears on the her flushed cheeks. Ali knelt down in front of the ruffle haired brunette and swallowed hard. She could see her wife was suffering for what she'd done. She knew from the words Emily spoke to Paige earlier and everything Ali had tried to ignore the past few weeks that Emily was immensely sorry for what she did. Emily may have broke Ali's heart, but Ali still loved her with all those pieces. Feelings as strong as the ones Ali felt towards Emily don't just go away, the may have gotten lost for a little while but they're still there, they'll always be there no matter what.

Ali was no longer second guessing her decision to make a start in forgiving Emily. She had set her mind on it. It was finally time to let the walls she had built around herself down and let the brunette back in.

She reached forward and pushed a strand of damp brunette hair behind Emily's ear. "Em" her wife's nickname rolled of her tongue so naturally. "Hey, wake up" she said in a soft voice just above a whisper.

"I'm sorry" Emily mumbled, her eyes shut close and her body still very much trapped in a deep sleep. "I'm so sorry" her raspy voice cracked as the words fell out of her mouth, each one as quiet as the last until they were barely audible to the blonde in front of her.

Ali exhaled a shaky breath and shut her eyes for a moment, then reached forward for the photo Emily had hugged against her heart. A tiny smile graced her face when she saw a photo of them on their first Christmas as a couple. The Christmas that led to such beautiful things. That Christmas marked the start of an amazing journey they were about to take in life. The journey that started on this very day 15 years ago.

Ali smiled down to the photo, completely lost in the memory of that very special time in their relationship. So lost that she didn't notice the brunette stirring on the chair in front of her. Emily's eyes slowly fluttered open, and widened in surprise when she noticed the blonde before her. She blinked hard a couple of times to clear her blurred vision. "Ali?" she said in slightly confused tone.

Ali looked up from the photo and her eyes met Emily's. She took a deep breath as Emily sat up straight on the chair, then slowly stood up and took a seat next to her, her gaze still held on the photo in her hand. "You remember how happy we were back then"

Emily looked down at the photo and nodded her head weakly.

"You remember me bringing you out to the kissing rock and telling you how I felt?"

"How could I forget" Emily's voice was hoarse, but her words were heard clearly by the blonde. "Fifteen years ago today"

"Such a long time...So many memories...So much happiness" Ali ran her thumb over the photo. "I'm not giving all that up over one mistake"

Emily pulse began to race at her wife's words and her mind immediately filled to the brim with questions. _Why is Ali here?_ She asked herself. _Why is she bringing up memories of the past? Is this forgiveness?_ The brunette inhaled a deep, shaky breath and looked to her wife.

"You did something impulsive" Ali swallowed hard and reached forward for the brunettes hand, taking it in her own and giving it a little squeeze. A warm feeling immediately shot up Ali's spine and sent a wave of electricity through her body, all that from one touch of the hand she had so badly wanted to hold for so long. "You were drunk and I know you didn't mean it"

The brunette slowly closed her eyes at the blondes last statement and a silent tear flowed down her cheek.

"It was a mistake…" Ali's eyebrows raised. "One mistake"

"Ali…I…" The brunette started only to be cut off by the blonde.

"I'm willing to forgive you Emily. I know it's going to take some time, but I just want to be a family again. I want our girls to have happy mommies. They miss you….I miss you"

Emily's bottom lip disappeared between her teeth as Alison's words sunk in. Suddenly, every apology she had thought up, every word she wanted to say to Alison this past few weeks, it all just disappeared at the back of her mind.

"I'm giving you a second chance, because you deserve one" Ali's eyes were now welled up with unshed tears as she leaned forward and pulled her wife close to her. "Everyone deserves a second chance" She whispered over the brunettes shoulder as she wrapped her arms around her and pulled her into her embrace.

Emily fell limp in the blondes hold, her arms hanging at her side and her head resting on Ali's shoulder as she processed everything she had just heard. The brunette slowly raised her arms and wrapped them around the blondes back, pulling her closer as Alison's grip around her tightened. Emily knew her mind should feel at ease, but it didn't. She had been begging Alison for forgiveness for so long, and now it's finally here. She was getting a second chance when she definitely didn't deserve it, she should feel overjoyed. But this weird feeling that had settled at the back of her mind was preventing her happiness. A feeling she couldn't fight.

* * *

 **A/N 2: Soooo what did you think of the chapter? Was it what you expected? Please leave a review. I love hearing your feedback:)**


	26. New Beginnings And Happy Endings

**Hey guys, Im back! Thank you all so much for sticking by this story and for being so patient while I took a little break. I was happy to see I picked up a few new readers and reviewers on my hiatus, so Hello to you all:) This chapter takes place the day after Havens Party, but mainly consists of flashbacks from the night before, so I hope you enjoy it. Also, thank you to sprtzgal1213 who helped me overcome some writers block. She's an amazing writer so If your on the look out for a great Emison fic, go check out her profile. She has two Emison fics that you won't regret reading:)**

 **Thank you all for the follows, favs and reviews. keep them coming:) I'll stop rambling now, lol. Here's the next chapter of baby steps!**

* * *

Chapter 26: New Beginnings And Happy Endings

 _Emily fell limp in the blondes hold, her arms hanging at her side and her head resting on Ali's shoulder as she processed everything she had just heard. The brunette slowly raised her arms and wrapped them around the blondes back, pulling her closer as Alison's grip around her tightened. Emily knew her mind should feel at ease, but it didn't. She had been begging Alison for forgiveness for so long, and now it's finally here. She was getting a second chance when she definitely didn't deserve it, she should feel overjoyed. But this weird feeling that had settled at the back of her mind was preventing her happiness. A feeling she couldn't fight._

 _Alison squeased the brunette a little tighter, then exhaled a soft breath before whispering "I forgive you, Em"_

 _With those four words and that incredible feeling of their bodies connected for the first time in far too long, Emily's tense shoulders relaxed, her heavy eyelids fluttered closed and her racing mind came to a standstill for what felt like the first time all weekend. The weird feeling that had settled at the back of her mind was still very much present, but the only thing the brunette was focussed on right now was the warm hold the blonde had her in. Everything around Emily seemed to disappear and in that moment, it was just her and the love of her life._

 _Emily inhaled a deep breath, and that intoxicating smell of coconut shampoo grazed through her nostrils. It was a scent she missed every night in bed. She would fall asleep with a pillow wrapped in her arms, breathing in the smell of washing detergent, and all she would do was wish that pillow was Alison, and that fresh scent was coconut shampoo._

 _Alison nestled her head further into the crook of Emily's neck and exhaled softly. The softness of Ali's cheek brushing against the brunettes shoulder and warmness of her breath washing over her tanned skin sent shivers down Emily's spine. It was by far one of the best feelings the brunette had felt in a very long time._

 _Emily hugged the blonde a lot over the years. But this hug...this one was different. There was only one other hug that compared to this one, and that was on this very day fifteen years ago when Alison took Emily to the kissing rock and expressed to her how she really felt. That day marked the start of something special. That night at the kissing rock, when Alison wrapped her arms around Emily, every feeling Emily ever felt for the blonde and every hope she ever had for them washed through the brunettes body. Emily remembered standing there, wrapped around the girl she had wanted for so long and one moment between them stood out in her mind as she fell into Ali's embrace under the glistening of the moonlight that very night fifteen years ago. It was the day in the library in high school when she finally plucked up the courage to lean forward and kiss the heart shaped lips she had wanted to kiss for so long, and as that kiss replayed in her mind, Alison's words_ 'That's why I love you, you're big on happy endings' _sounded softly in the the back of her mind. That day, at the kissing rock with Alison fifteen years ago, that was the brunettes happy ending. That warm hug under the night sky, that marked the first day of the rest of her life. And that's exactly what it felt like for Emily in Alison's hold right now. She was getting a second shot at her happy ending...a second shot at the first day of the rest of her life._

 _Emily savoured the embrace for a few more moments before Alison slowly pulled back. Her ocean blue eyes roamed from chocolate orbs to chapped lips. Emily's pulse picked up its pace and she swallowed hard, sensing Alison's contemplation to lean forward and press their lips together. But then Alison pulled her gaze from the brunette and cleared her throat...and It was like the spark that had ignited in her eyes just moments before extinguished. Sadness clouded the happiness that had been visible and the enthusiasm she had about their relationship seemed to crumble to regret. Regret about her decision to forgive and forget._

 _As Emily inhaled a shaky breath of air, her gaze fell to her hands and she pulled on her fingers one by one. Looking at Alison right now crushed every ounce of hope she ever had of them getting through this. Ali had gone from smiling about memories of the past, to looking like she could break down any minute over the events of the present. No matter how hard they try to move past this and forget it, something is always going to trigger a horrible memory of the events of the past few weeks. Each memory will extinguish that spark in the ocean blue eyes just a little bit, and once it's out, the flame to relight it may no longer be there._

XXXXXXXXXX

Emily was startled from her flashback of the night before by a loud knock on her office door. Before she could even fully pull herself back to reality, the door swung open and into her room appeared a not so happy looking Mr Hackett.

Emily cleared her throat and pulled her hands from under her chin, then sat upright out of her slouched position and poised herself. "H...Hey" She blurted out as she gathered a messy pile of papers scattered around the desk and stacked them into a neat pile. "Good morning, Mr Hackett" She corrected herself, trying to sound way more professional than she previously did and even changing the tone of her voice. Something Ali would always make fun out of her for doing. It was the voice she used when making important phone calls and one time one of those calls ended in a loud snigger from her that she couldn't hold in any longer after watching Ali mimic her every word with an extremely posh voice while absentmindedly flicking through a magazine on the living room sofa. "What can I do for you" Emily wheeled her office chair closer to her desk and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I would like to see you in my office after lunch" Mr Hackett stated to the brunette in front of him. "There is something that needs to be discussed"

"I uhm, I actually have somewhere to be but…."

"It's not a request, Mrs Dilaurentis Fields" The older man cut Emily off in a rather firm voice, taking her a little by surprise with the tone."I'm sure whatever plans you have can be postponed. This is important"

Emily nodded her head. "Okay"

Mr Hackett looked around the brunettes office with a slightly wrinkled nose, taking note of the uncorrected pile of papers on the desk, the chemistry books scattered around the floor, and the brunette herself who's appearance resembled someone who rolled out of bed this morning and into work. He exhaled through his nose and gave her a nod before turning around and walking out the door as fast as he entered.

All Emily could do when Mr Hackett left her office was leave a defeated sigh. She leaned forward on her elbows and ran her fingers through her ruffled ' _I don't give a fuck'_ hair that she didn't have time to do early this morning when she was rushing around the apartment to get two extremely cranky one year olds fed and ready for daycare. The brunette knew that whatever needs to be discussed between her and Mr Hackett wasn't going to be good, so immediately dread flooded her body for the meeting after lunch. She had been expecting him to approach her at some point over the past few week, she just wished it wasn't going to be today, or any day for that matter. However, it was kind of expected that she would have a run in with him some time soon enough, especially after the extremely disapproving look he gave her when she showed up to her class 20 minutes late this morning.

* * *

' _Hello this is Rosewood Family Counseling services. We are currently unable to take your call so please state your name, your phone number, and a detailed message after the beep….'_

...Beeeeeep

"Hi, this is Alison Dilaurentis-Fields calling in regards to setting up an appointment with Dr Taylor at her earliest convenience. The number you she reach me at is (215) 555-0135. Thank you" The blonde spoke in an extremely formal voice before hanging up the phone. After the call ended and her home screen took over, Ali dropped the phone to her side and ran her fingers through her hair as she trailed towards the counter and took a seat on the chair behind it. She gathered up the wrappers from the lunch Pam had dropped in for her just over twenty minutes before and tossed them into the trash can at her side. The chicken salad sandwich had been the first thing she'd eaten since the few stuffed mushrooms she had at the party the night before, so it was no wonder that it went down like a treat.

The blonde cupped the takeaway coffee cup in her hands a little tighter before bringing it to her lips and blowing softly on the Carmel coloured liquid. She held her gaze on the large window ahead and watched the droplets of snow fall onto the ground below. Last minute Christmas shoppers hustled passed the window and constant traffic flowed easily down the street. As the blonde absentmindedly sipped on her coffee, the events of the night before tumbled through her mind.

XXXXXXXXXX

" _I forgive you, Em" Alison whispered into the brunettes neck and just in doing that she felt as if the weight of the world had been taken off her shoulders. She felt Emily physically relax at those words and fall deeper into her arms. Goosebumps formed over blonde skin as the brunettes warm breath washed over her neck and there was no other feeling in the world right now that Alison would rather feel than what she was feeling in that moment. She was sure that this is what she wanted, she wanted to forgive Emily. She wanted to start fresh, a new beginning 15 years later._

 _After a few blissful moments, Alison pulled away from the hug. Her eyes melted onto Emily's. Then they roamed to her perfect lips. For a brief moment, she wanted to lean forward and kiss Emily. But then an image flashed through her mind. An image of Paige kissing Emily the way Ali wanted to right now. Alison cleared her throat and looked away from Emily's lips, willing that image to leave her mind and never come back. But the truth was, it would come back. And if Alison could barely handle it now, she could only imagine how it would feel in days, weeks, months, even years to come. Seeing Paige's face everytime she went to kiss Emily in the future wasn't something she would be able to push aside. She knew this betrayal would stay very fresh in her mind no matter how hard she tried to forget it._

 _Silence fell over them. Torturing silence for what felt like ages. Neither one of them knew what to say because they both knew what the other was thinking. Emily just continued to play mindlessly with her fingers while Alison's eyes roamed everywhere but the brunette in front of her._

 _Then Alison heard Emily's breath caught in the back of her throat, as if she was trying so desperately, but failing to swallow a golf ball sized lump caught in it. Ali looked at Emily, and when Emily's eyes met hers, the blonde felt as if everything inside her crumbled to nothing. The brunettes lips were quivering and her eyes were filled to the brim with unshed tears._

" _No" Emily shook her head, trying as hard as she could to hold in the tears that were threatening to spill down her face. "I've ruined our family" the brunettes voice cracked as she spoke. "I...I know i've been begging you for forgiveness for so long...but...but I don't deserve it. I don't deserve your forgiveness, Ali"_

 _The brunette covered her face and her whole body began shaking as sobs took over her body. And the same almost happened to Alison just witnessing how utterly broken the brunette was. Alison shut her eyes and inhaled a shaky breath, willing the tears now stinging her own eyes not to fall down her face. But it was no use, because they fell down anyway. The blonde darted her eyes to the ceiling, and after a few moments she moved them back to the brunette in front of her, cleared her throat and inhaled a shaky breath._

" _Emily" Alison said firmly. "Look at me" she tilted her head to make eye contact with the brunette but Emily couldn't bring herself to look at the blonde. "Em, please" Ali whispered, but the brunette shook her head weakly and brought the back of her hand up to her face, smearing the tears across her jawline and down the front of her neck. "I heard you this morning...talking with Paige" Alison swallowed hard, finally earning Emily's gaze. The brunette looked at her both confused and unsure,_ maybe scared? _Alison thought to herself, about what to think of the statement. "I know you didn't mean what you did. I know you regret going to that bar, and…." the blonde swallowed hard and closed her eyes at the thoughts and images now forming in her head. "And everything that happened after that"_

 _The brunette looked at the blonde in front of her, her chest heaving as she tried to control the sobs that threatened to leave her body, her lips quivering and fresh tears streaming down her face._

" _I know it took me a little while to believe that, but I do now" Alison took both Emily's hands in her own, and as she gave them a small reassuring squeeze, chocolate brown orbs met icy blue. "I'm not saying getting through this is going to be easy, but if we do it slow, if we do it right and take baby steps, I know we will" She squeezed Emily's hands a little tighter. "We can get through this, Em….we_ will _get through this and we_ will _come out stronger on the other side. I promised you on our wedding day that I would be with you through the good times and the bad….and that's exactly what I plan to do. I'm here Em, I'm here to stay and I'm not going to let anything change that"_

 _Fresh tears streamed down Emily's face as she squeezed her eyes closed. She gasped for a breath of air and tried to compose herself, but she couldn't. As the sob caught in the back of her through flew out of her mouth. She shook her head and very slowly fell forward onto the blondes chest._

" _Shhh" the blonde wrapped one arm around Emily's back and the other tangled in the brunettes hair. She shut her eyes and a single tear spilled onto the chair beneath her. "Everything is going to be okay." After a few moments, Alison went to pull away from the hug but Emily's grip around her tightened. So tight that Alison felt like the brunette was holding onto her like her life depended on it. She stayed there for a little while longer, the two of them completely lost in each others hold._

 _It was the blonde phones ringing in her bag near the kitchen island that pulled the two from their moment. Emily finally let go of the grip around Alison so she could go attend to the call. Alison wiped the tears under her eyes with her fingers as she sat up fron the chair. She then trailed over to the kitchen, took her phone out of her bag and slid her finger across the screen to answer the call._

 _Before Alison put the phone to her ear, she sniffled and cleared her throat. "Hello"_

" _Are you okay?" Hanna used a questioning tone from the other side of the phone._

" _Yeah I'm fine" Alison said, but the shakiness of her voice was unconvincing._

" _You sure?" Hanna asked._

" _Yeah Han, I'm sure" Ali nodded her head. "What's up?"_

" _It's Madison" Hanna spoke over the crying Ali noticed coming from the other side of the phone, immediately recognising it as her daughters. "She wants Emily"_

 _Alison looked over at the brunette sitting on the chair wiping underneath her eyes with the sleeve of her jumper. "Yeah, She's been asking for her Mama all weekend" the blonde watched Emily's head shoot up with those words. "I'm actually with Emily right now so I'll come get them and bring them back here to spend the night with her. The party's wrapping up soon anyway"_

" _Well Madison will leave without a problem but good luck getting Ellie off that bouncy castle" Hanna said._

 _Alison let out a soft chuckle. "I'm sure we'll find some way to get her home"_

" _I've already tried and she's put up a heck of a fight" Hanna laughed. "So yeah, I'm here for back up if you need me"_

" _I'm on my way" Alison smiled before pulling the phone from her ear and ending the call._

" _That was Hanna" the blonde dropped her phone to her side and slowly sauntered towards the brunette on the chair. She stood still and fiddled with the phone in her hand as she looked down at Emily. "I'm going to go get the twins and bring them here"_

 _Emily nodded her head weakly and Alison did the same before turning away and walking back towards her things at the kitchen island. She quickly slipped into her winter jacket and swung her bag over her shoulder. As she picked up her keys from the island, she looked at Emily, and Emily held her gaze for a brief moment before Ali turned around and walked outside the apartment door._

XXXXXXXXXXX

A loud bang that came from the area near the door of the boutique startled Alison from her thoughts. She looked around the boutique and saw one of the boxes that had been stacked in the pile from the new delivery toppled over, the contents, which included a range of different bags, spilled out all across the floor.

The blonde walked out from behind the counter and trailed towards the pile of boxes near the door. She picked up the bags and began tossing them back into their box. Then, with a few groans and some heavy breathing, she managed to get two of the heavy boxes to the their designated space back of the shop, but before she could get the third one she was broken from her stride by a knock on the window.

Alison looked up to see a brunette making her way in through the doors of the boutique. She recognised her almost immediately, it was Zoey from the party last night.

"Alison" the brunette woman pulled her headphones out of her ear and gave the blonde her brightest smile.

"Zoey" Ali beamed, furrowing her brows slightly in surprise. She looked at the brunette standing in front of her dressed in a black leggings and thermal jumper, panting slightly with her hands on her hips.

"I would give you a hug but you know…" Zoey trailed off with a slight chuckle. "I'm kind of sweaty" she gestured to the beads of sweat falling from her forehead.

"Don't worry about it" Alison waved her hand.

"I'll make it up to you next time" Zoey winked and Alison's face reddened with those words. The brunette brushed it off like it was nothing and made her way to the pile of heavy boxes, picking one up with a lot more ease than when Ali did it while Alison stood there replaying the brunettes bold statement in her mind and overthinking it work for word.

"Where will I drop these" Zoey questioned.

"Uhm" Alison shook herself out of her thoughts with a soft chuckle. "Honestly, I can manage. You should get back to your run"

"Nonsense" Zoey made her way down to the back of the store with one of the boxes, Alison following closely behind her. "I don't mind at all" She dropped the box, put her hands on her hips and shrugged her shoulders. She smiled at Alison for a brief moment and as she began to make her way back to the front of the boutique, she looked back at Ali with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. "I never got my gym session in this morning, so I'll take a workout wherever I can get one"

* * *

Emily sat in her office towards the end of lunchtime, staring at the ticking clock above her door. Her mind ran through all the different reasons Mr Hackett would have to call her for a meeting, and not one of them were good. The brunette picked up her bag and rested it on her knees before rummaging through it to see if she had an energy bar or something similar to fill her rumbling stomach. A piece of paper caught her attention, and immediately she picked it out. She felt her breath catch on the back of her throat when she saw what it was. It was the piece of paper Ellie and Madison had been scribbling on the night before. The three of them sat in the chair with crayons and paper and on that sheet the twins helped each other draw a family picture. It filled Emily with joy watching the two of them communicate through babbles and hearing them shout eachothers names repetitively. They seemed to have grown up so fast over the last few weeks, and it broke Emily heart that her and Alison didn't witness it together. Emily's lips curved into a little smile looking at the picture that her daughters had managed to sneak into her bag. As she got lost in the photo, her mind brought her back to the night before and the smile on her face widened just thinking back to how excited her little girls had been to see her when Alison dropped them over to the apartment.

XXXXXXXXXX

 _Emily was still sitting in the same spot Alison left her in on the chair when a light knocking echoed through the apartment, followed by another, and then the smacking of little hands against the door. She knew immediately who those little hands belonged to so she sprung to her feet and made her way to the door. She immediately heard her little girl shouting Mama from the other side and when she opened it, the twins faces lit up._

" _Mama" Maddie reached for the brunette from Alison's arms._

" _Mama uppy" Ellie squealed from the floor, her arms held high above her head_

 _With help from Ali, Emily managed to get her girls up in her arms and both women smiled as excited squeals echoed through the room. Madison sat on Emily's right hip with Iggy dangling from her arm and gave Emily a toothy grin before wrapping both little hands around her neck while Ellie bounced excitedly on the brunettes left hip and gripped the hem of her shirt as she repetitively chanted 'Mama'._

" _You happy to see Mama?" Ali smiled to her daughters. Ellie tugged on Emily's tshirt and shouted 'Yay!' while Maddie wrapped her arms tighter around the brunette and nestled her head in the crook of her neck, shaking it with an excited smile plastered on her face._

" _I missed you baby girls" Emily looked down at her daughters. "Mama loves you two" she whispered. Ellie then mimicked Maddie's actions and wrapped her arms around Emily, which Emily responded to pulling her girls closer and gently swaying them side to side._

" _Mommy huggy" Ellie reached one arm out to Alison who stood a few feet away, succeeding in getting a grip on the hem of her shirt._

 _Alison looked at Emily for a few seconds as Ellie continued to try pull her into the group hug._

" _Huggy?" Emily tilted her head in question, earning a smile from Alison as she willingly fell into the first family hug in far too long._

 _The four stayed in their little family hug for a few moments. A few blissful moments that each one enjoyed more than the other. The twins had their mommies squeezed for dear life, and both Alison and Emily had each other caught like the world would end if they let go. In that moment, that weird feeling that was present in the back of Emily's mind had disintegrated to nothing, and for the first time in weeks, it felt like everything was going to be okay._

 _When Alison hesitantly pulled away from the hug, she gave Emily a dimpled smile. Emily looked at her, looked right into the ocean blue orbs and immediately noticed that spark that had been extinguished earlier, was relit. Emily curved her lips into a smile, and both women just gazed into eachothers eyes until Alison cleared her throat and looked away._

" _It's getting late" The blonde pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I better get going"_

" _Stay mommy" Maddie held her hand out to Ali as she tried to slip out the door._

" _Wan Mommy seepy wit me" Ellie cried out._

 _Ali looked at Emily as she opened her mouth to speak, but before she could she was cut off by the blonde._

" _Mommy will see you tomorrow, okay" Alison smiled to her two little girls in Emily's arms._

" _You can stay if you want, Ali" Emily said, hoping Alisons answer would be yes. I'll take the chair" she insisted._

" _Uhm" Alison looked around the room and swallowed hard. "This day has been a lot to take in already, Em. I just...I don't think I'm ready for us to spend the night together"_

 _Disappointment washed over Emily's face. "Yeah, I get it"_

" _Baby Steps, Okay" Ali placed her hand on Emily's and gave it a gentle squeeze._

 _Emily nodded her head weakly. "Baby Steps"_

* * *

 **So, the main message I wanted to give you with this chapter is that Emily and Alison are still madly in love with each other. There's just a few little obstacles left to overcome before they can truly be happy again. As you can see here, Alison just wants to move past this. And so does Emily but she still has a lot of things to figure out before she can do that. Please leave me your feedback:) I love reading reviews!**


	27. Hope Breeds Eternal Misery

**Chapter 27: Hope Breeds Eternal Misery**

"What!?" Emily eyes widened in disbelief. "You can't fire me"

Mr Hackett sat forward in his chair and interlocked his fingers on the desk in front of him. "I can and I have"

"I've dedicated eight years of my life to this school and your going to get rid of me like I meant nothing all over a rough couple of weeks" Emily held her hands out defensively in front if her as Mr Hackett continued speaking.

"Your classes grades have dropped drastically, Mrs Dilaurentis-Fields" Mr Hacketts tone was harsh as he spoke. "The swim team has beat a new record for number of meets lost consecutively" his head shook with every word that left his mouth, then he paused for a moment and sat back in his chair, resting his elbows on the arm rest and placing both index fingers over his mouth as he looked at the brunette in front if him. "You made a student cry the other day and left me a heck of a mess to clean up afterwards with the parents after you gave her a speech about how she's destined to be a failure because of some boy drama between her and another student"

Emily rolled her eyes and forced a breath through her nose. "I'll admit, that wasn't my finest moment as a teacher"

"I'll say" Mr Hacketts widened his eyes slightly, then he looked down to the file in front of him and shook his head as he continued speaking. "You know very well that a leave of absence must be formally requested. Instead you just decided not to show up to work for the two weeks and ever since then you have actively been showing no interest in your duty to educate the young minds of tomorrow. And I'm sorry, but that's not the kind of role model I'll allow the students of this school to look up to"

"You're forgetting to mention the fact that I have brought our swim team through to the national championships more times than any other coach has before" Emily lounged forward slightly and raised her voice. Frustration boiling up in her that Mr Hackett was pointing out all of her fails and none of her successes. "I have poured every ounce of energy I have into ensuring my chemistry class gets the best education possible, which includes taking time out of my own schedule, time I could be spending with my family, to set up study groups and weekend revision courses to make sure they get every benefit they can. I do the required amount of work, and more" the brunette sat back in her chair and folded her arms forcefully in front of her chest. "Anytime you need a favor, I'm here, anytime you need someone to help out with fundraisers, I agreed to do it without hesitation" She huffed out a breath of air, then clenched her jaw in anger as she shook her head. "I don't know about you, Mr Hackett, but I don't see many other teachers around here willing to go as far as I go"

"But the thing is that you haven't been doing that at all lately. You've barely been showing up to your classes. And when you do decide to grace us with your presence, your not all there" Hackett tapped his finger against his head and raised his brow to the brunette.

"I've had some things going on but…"

"Everyone has something going on. But we all manage to keep our personal lives separate to our professional lives. You should be well able to put your problems aside when you step in through these doors, and if you can't do that well then I'm sorry Mrs Dilaurentis-Field, but this just isn't the right place for you to be"

Emily shook her head, her bottom lip clamped between her teeth as of to stop herself from saying anything she would regret. She forced a breath through her nose and closed her eyes to calm herself. "you'll be sorry for this" she said in a low voice, then opened her eyes and stared Hackett down. "You won't find a replacement that's willing to put the same effort I put into teaching those swimmers"

"I've had one in mind for a while now" the older man stated matter of factly.

"Oh, so you've known for a while that you've wanted to replace me?" Emily scoffed, then shook her head weakly. "I've always knows you were a grade A assho…."

"This conversation is over" Hackett raises his voice to the brunette, cutting her off before she could finish her bold statement. "You're fired, Mrs Dilaurentis-Fields. Effective immediately. You have until the end of the day to pack up your office"

Emily raced out of Mr Hacketts office and stormed straight down to her own office at the end of the hall. She took a large box from on top of her filing cabinet, emptied its contents onto her desk and began packing up the things she actually needed, which included nothing more than her laptop, various chargers, her favourite 'Worlds best Mama' cup, a photo frame with a picture of Ellie and Madison from their trip to Malibu a few months ago and of course, her favourite picture of her and Ali on top of the Eiffel Tower the week they got engaged. Memories from that special time flashed through her mind and gave Emily the urge to burst into tears, but before she could let that happen, she stuffed the picture into the box with the rest of her stuff and continued packing up her things.

The urge to burst into tears transformed into the urge to scream in anger. Anger at herself for letting her life get as bad as it is now. Emily exhaled short, heavy breaths through her nose and tossed a few more items into the box. She knew she only had the bare minimum of her belongings but right now she really didn't care, she just wanted to get out of here as quick as possible. She grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair and hung it over her arm, then threw her bag over her shoulder, picked the box up from her desk and stormed out of the room with nostrils flaring in anger.

Just as Emily was about to turn the corner, she took a step back when she saw a familiar face standing outside Mr Hacketts office. She stood behind the wall and peeked her head to get a better look. She saw Paige and Hackett shaking hands, Hackett with that beaming smile he reserved only for certain people, which one time included Emily. He shook his head animatedly as he spoke to Paige, continuing to shake her hand and grin at her like a baby getting raspberries blown on their belly. Emily couldn't exactly make out what he was saying to Paige, it was all a little muffled. The only words she heard were position, coaching and swim team, and those three words were enough to for Emily to figure out exactly what Mr Hackett seemed to be congratulating Paige for.

With a gleeful smile, Mr Hackett nodded his head to Paige and walked away. Paige stood there watching the older man disappear down the hall, and once he was out of sight, she held her gaze straight ahead of her. The only thing that pulled her from the trance she had fallen into was a venomous voice behind her.

"It's you, isn't it" Emily said through gritted teeth.

Paige whipped her head up and looked at Emily, her eyes wide and her mouth hung open.

"You're replacing me as swim coach, aren't you?"

Paige's mouth opened and closed as she tried to search for words. "I...it"

"Are you fucking serious right now?" Emily breathed out in disbelief.

"It all happened so fast" Paige blurted out.

Emily clenched the bottom of the box tightly and shook her head furiously, blinking back the tears that sprung in her eyes.

"I didn't realise what I was doing until it was too late" Paige looked at Emily helplessly.

Emily let out a loud scoff as she ran her free hand through her ruffled hair and brought it to rest on her thigh with a loud smack. She clutched the box again, this time even tighter "How can you not realise your accepting a job offer, Paige?"

"No…I…" Paige shook her head and brought her gaze to her hands.

"Mr Hackett has been trying to replace me with you since you got here so don't even try to pretend that him offering you my job is such a huge shock"

"Emily" Paige shook her head, closed her eyes and inhaled a huge breath of air, but before she could continue speaking, the brunette cut her off.

"Was this your plan all along? Come here and make my life miserable just because yours was. Does it make you feel good to see other people suffer?" Emily furrowed her brows in question, the tears now stinging her eyes becoming impossible to hold back.

"Please stop" Paige begged.

"No, Paige. I won't stop!" Emily closed the distance between them, her voice raised to a point where Paige looked around the empty hallways to see if anyone lingering in the distance noticed.

"Emily" Paige scolded in a loud whisper. "Can we please not do this here"

" _Here_ is exactly where we're going to do it. What's Hackett going to do if he sees me shouting in the hallway, huh?" Emily let out a dark laugh. "Fire me?"

"I had no intention of taking your job" Paige shook her head furiously, an almost terrified looking expression on her face. " It just…it happened. I was more focussed on why your position would be available in the first place...I...I didn't realise I was accepting it until I was shaking his hand"

"What a load of bullshit" Emily's practically yelled to the redhead in front of her.

"Please" Paige forced her eyes closed. "I need you to listen to me…"

"Listen to you" Emily voice cracked as she tried desperately to suppress a sob. "Why would I want to listen to you. I've heard everything I need to hear. You told me you love me, you told me your going to fight to get me back" she shook her head and quickly wiped the tear that spilled down her cheek. "I don't need to hear that again. Ever"

"I'm sorry, Emily" Paige dropped her head and let out a defeated sigh.

"Sorry for what?" Emily shook her head. "For taking my job. For sleeping with me. For doing everything and anything to fuck with my life since you showed up here?"

"No" Paige shook her head, then scrunched her face. "Y...Yes. Im sorry for _all_ of that...and..." she trailed off with a shaky breath. "And for...for..."

"What's going on out here" Arias voice startled both Emily and Paige. The petite brunette scanned her eyes up and down the empty hallway as she slipped out of the photocopying room just opposite Hacketts office. She stood in front of the closed door and looked between Paige and Emily with her arms folded tightly in front of her chest, waiting for an answer. If Emily wasn't so riled up, Arias facial expression would have made her shudder. "Well!"

Emily looked away from the fierce looking petite brunette and ran her finger under her eye to catch a tear before if fell down her face. She had so much to say, both to Aria and to Paige, and even though she had nothing to lose, she knew it wasn't the right place to do it.

Aria looked at the box in Emily's hand, her brow furrowed in confusion. She then looked at Paige who was staring back at her like a little kid after getting caught stealing from the cookie jar, her mouth kept opening and closing as she fished for an explanation, but no words were coming out.

"Nothing" Emily's jaw clenched in anger. She sniffled and brought her gaze to the redhead in front of her. "There is absolutely _nothing_ going on here"

* * *

"My dad left before I was even born. He just took off one day and we never heard from him again. After that, it was just me and my mom against the world. We were like best friends growing up, and I didn't have many of them...you know, friends" Zoey swallowed hard and cleared her throat. "After she passed away last year, I hit a bad patch and ended up losing my girlfriend not long after. I was in a bad state for a while...felt completely alone for so long" she stared into the distance for a moment and sighed. Then looked at Alison and gave her a bright smile. "But I managed to pull myself together and applied for the position at Rosewood PD. So basically you could say I'm starting fresh here. New town, new home, new friends…." she trailed off and gestured her hands to Ali. "New everything"

"Fresh starts can do you the world of good" Alison said, then gave Zoey a sad smile. "I'm really sorry to hear about your mom"

"Yeah, I miss her" Zoey sighed. "But I know she's with me all the time" She tapped her hand on her heart.

Ali nodded at Zoey's words, thinking back to the time she lost her mother in high school. How heartbroken she'd been for months afterwards. Losing her mom was like losing a piece of herself. Ali and her mom never had the perfect mother/daughter relationship, but Ali knew deep down that her Mom loved her more than anything. Alison wished her mom could have been there to witness her grow into the woman she is today. To watch her walk down the aisle and marry the love of her life. To meet her two beautiful granddaughters. She wished she had her mother to lean on when she was going through this whole ordeal with Emily.

"How about you, Alison" Zoey leaned forward in her chair, her husky voice breaking Alison from her thoughts. "What's your story?

Just as Alison opened her mouth to answer, her phone buzzed on the counter in front of them. She reached forward and picked it up, examining the number carefully. "Sorry, I really have to take this" She said to Zoey.

"Go ahead" Zoey smiled. "I'll be right here waiting"

Alison flashed Zoey a smile as she stood up from the chair and slid her finger across the screen to answer the call. She cleared her throat and put her phone to her ear. "Hey, Dr Taylor. Thanks so much for getting back to me" the blonde walked to the corner of the boutique and listened tentatively to the doctor on the other side of the phone. "Yeah, that's right" she nodded, chewing nervously on her fingertips in hopes that Dr Taylor would have an available appointment for her and Emily. She knew that with it being close to the holidays, the chances of any therapists office being able to fit them in was slim, however, she found no harm in calling and trying anyway. "We'll take whatever's available" Alison looked up to see Zoey staring at her, and when the two caught each other's gaze the brunette gave her a soft smile, which Alison returned. "Later on" The blondes eyes widened slightly in surprise. "No! 5:30 is perfect" she shook her head quickly. "Thank you so much, Dr Taylor" Alison smiled. "I'll see you tonight" She pulled the phone from her ear and ended the call, then closed her eyes, dropped her head back and a deep sigh of relief escaped her lips.

Zoey narrowed her eyes at the blonde as she trailed back over behind the counter and took a seat. Alison looked at her with furrowed brows and let out a small laugh. "What?"

"Nothing" Zoey shook her head and sunk back into her chair. "It's just...I don't think I've ever seen somebody so happy to get a doctors appointment"

Ali nodded her head, an uneasy expression on her face. "I didn't think she would have an availability until after Christmas, so…" she trailed off.

"I hate hospitals" Zoey exhaled a shaky breath. "Even when we have to go there to take victim statements and all that, I get the shivers"

"I'm just glad this visit has nothing to do with hospitals. I've had really bad experiences there in the past" Horrible memories of the crash her and Emily were in a few years ago and then of Maddies grand entrance into the world when she decided to slip away from them more than once made Ali shudder. She closed her eyes inhaled a shaky breath as images of doctors rushing her daughters lifeless body out of the room pulsed through her mind.

Zoey reached over and gave Ali's hand a gently squeeze. The unexpected contact pulled the blonde back to reality. Her eyes sprung open and she looked down to see the brunette caressing small circles on her hand with her thumb.

The brunette quickly pulled her hand away from Alison's and folded her arms in front of her chest. "Nothing to do with hospitals, huh? Well, that's my kind of doctors visit" a gleeful smile graced her face. "Then again, even doctors scare the shit out of me. With their white lab coats and weird face masks, getting ready to cut into human flesh with their scalpels" Zoey gritted her teeth together and shivered. "If I were you I wouldn't care if they couldn't fit me in for an appointment until after Christmas" she let out a fearful chuckle. "Tonight! Forget it. I'd be at the train station right now catching the next train to god only knows where"

"No doctors with scalpels. None with white lab coats even" Ali laughed. "Just a perky, middle aged woman and a really soft couch"

"A really soft couch?" Zoeys brows wrinkled in confusion. "What? Is this role play for later on?" her lips curved into a sneaky smile. "Was that you setting up an appointment with your _gynaecologist_ on the phone, huh?"

"No" Alison mouth hung open in shock of what Zoey was insinuating. She leaned forward and playfully nudged the brunette, who along with her, broke into laughter.

"No judgment here" Zoey stifled a giggle. "I, myself am guilty of spicing things up in the bedroom on occasion"

"It's nothing like that" Alison rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Well then what is it" Zoey looked at the blonde, willing her to speak.

Alison looked down at her hands and cleared her throat, then inhaled a deep breath and glanced to the boutique doors. "It's uh…" She trailed off with a slight chuckle, then scratched the back of her neck. "It's couples therapy"

Zoey widened her eyes, the corners of her lips falling into a frown. "Been there" she said with a twinge of dread in her voice. The brunette looked into the distance and blew out a breath of air.

"You tried couples therapy?" Alison questioned.

Zoey's gaze fell back onto Alison. "Yeah"

"How did you find it?" The blonde questioned. "Did it work"

"I found it amazing" Zoey said, watching Ali's eyes light up with those words. "And it seemed to be working…" the brunette trailed off with a deep sigh, then ran her fingers through her hair. "Until my girlfriend flunked on our last lesion and broke up with me via email"

Alison's face dropped with the brunettes words. The hopeful expression she had crumbled to one of dread.

"It took me completely by surprise" Zoey swallowed hard and looked to the floor "She was the one who forced me to go, even though I didn't want to, even though I thought the whole idea of talking to someone about our problems was stupid. She was always so positive that things would work out between us. She always told me to 'trust the process' and 'everything will work out in the end'...But in the end, it was her that left me" the brunette let out a soft chuckle, and when she looked up, she saw the fearful expression that had taken over Ali's face.

"I'm sorry" Zoey heaved an exasperated sigh. "Telling you my bad experience with couples therapy probably wasn't the best idea when your about to go to it yourself"

"N...no, it's fine"

"It's not" The brunette shook her head. "It was stupid of me. I'm sure you and Emily will get through whatever it is your going through. Don't let my breakup tales discourage you" she gave Alison a sincere smile.

Ali nodded her head. "Well, I'm sorry it didn't work out between you and your girlfriend"

"Me too" Zoey sighed "I've moved on, though. Becs broke my heart, but I'm optimistic that one day a beautiful girl will fall into my arms and put it back together again"

Alison gave the brunette a warm smile. "Well, whoever she is, she'll be lucky to have you"

Zoey nodded her head and after a few silent moments, she looked at Ali. "Do you believe in love at first sight?"

"I do" Alison gave the brunette a dimpled smile before her gaze fell into the distance. She remembered the first time she set eyes on Emily when they were kids, and she immediately wanted her to be apart of her posse. She always felt a gravitational pull towards her, one that she never felt with any of the other girls. She felt things around Emily that she never felt with anyone else before. Her first time laying eyes on Emily, that was the definition of love at first sight.

"Me too" Zoey smiled

* * *

Emily clutched the steering wheel hard as she contemplated her next move. Her car was parked across the street from the town square, and she had a perfect view of the boutique, the brew and the bar she swore she would never set foot in again after what happened that night between her and Paige. Emily's head fell against the steering wheel. She didn't know what to do. Where to go. Who to talk to. How was she supposed to tell Alison that she lost her job? How would she be able to go back to her apartment and pretend everything was fine, when in reality things were just falling apart again? After her talk with Alison the night before, she thought that maybe things will be okay. Maybe her and Alison's relationship had hope. Then Spencer's saying 'hope breeds eternal misery' played on a loop in her mind. How accurate those four words described her life right now was scary. Each time she seemed to have the slightest bit of hope for her and Ali, the universe seemed to sense it and throw another curveball in her way.

Emily dropped her head back and ran her hands over her face. She then glanced between the boutique, the brew and finally, the bar that started this whole mess. All she wanted right now was to just go in there and drink until all her problems slipped away. Drink until she could forget. But she couldn't slip down that dark hole again. That pit of nothingness that she had spent so much time in after that night with Paige had been so hard to get out of. She had been doing so well to ignore her urges to grab a bottle of jack and down it until the world slipped away from around her, especially this weekend. And even though those urges were stronger than ever right now, she couldn't give into them, no matter how much she wanted to.

She drew in a few deep breath, trying to muster up the courage to get out of the car and go over to the boutique to tell Ali that she lost her job, and worse yet, Paige is her replacement. But she was scared. Scared that this would be a setback for them. She wasn't willing to undo the progress her and Ali made last night over this. Because she knew Ali, and she knew this isn't something she would take lightly.

The brunette wanted to think out word for word what she was going to tell Ali. She needed to ease into it first, soften the waters before dropping a bomb. But she knew if she planned a speech she would be sitting in the car all night. She heaved an exasperated sigh and instead of overthinking it, she just decided to go for it. Emily glanced into the overhead mirror to make sure her appearance was acceptable. It wasn't. She was a mess. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out her mascara. After putting that on her lashes, she searched for her favourite concealer to hopefully cover up the dark circles under her eyes. When she pulled out the concealer, she dapped it under her eyes and blended it in with her fingers. Then Emily ran a stick of chapstick over her lips and pursed them together as she examined the now much more put together version of herself. It wasn't her best look, but it would have to do.

The brunette forced a breath through her nose as she threw on her warm winter jacket. She ran her fingers through her ruffled brunette locks, swung her handbag over her shoulder, pushed open the car door and stepped onto the sidewalk. Immediately the winter air hit her exposed chest so she reached down and began zipping up her jacket. When she was done, she strode across the road and onto the town square. She absentmindedly strode across the grass and when her gaze finally fell onto the boutique in front of her she stopped dead in her tracks. Ali was standing outside the boutique doors with a woman, and that brunette woman was running her hand up and down Ali's arm in a more than friendly manner.

Emily's pulse quickened when she saw the brunette dressed in black leggings and a thermal jacket squease Alisons bicep and then push her away playfully. That's when Ali dropped her head back and burst into a fit of strenuous laughter. Emily saw the way the brunette was looking at her. A flirtatious grin slapped on her face and her bottom lip clamped between her teeth. Ali finally brought her head back up, and from the looks of it Emily could tell she was desperately trying to suppress a chuckle. Then she said something to the brunette, and brunette bent over in a fit of laughter, her hand clutched onto Ali's shoulder as if to keep herself from falling over.

Emily stood there, and as much as she wanted to go over and rip whoever's hands those were off Alison, she couldn't. She was unable to move. It was like a force was constricting her from putting one foot in front of another. The only thing she could do was look away, because there was no way she could handle watching another woman make Alison smile like that, or laugh so hard that she had her chest clutched to catch her breath. She hadn't heard that laugh or seen that smile in a long time, a very long time. And she hated that she wasn't the person responsible for making Alison feel that joy. Emily's already broken heart shattered into a million more pieces.

The angle Emily's face was turned in gave her a perfect view of the bar. That bar that she cursed for so long. The bar she wished she never set foot in a few weeks prior. Right now, setting foot in it didn't seem like such a bad idea. This already terrible day really didn't seem like it was going to get any better, so why even try to avoid making it worse when that was doomed to happen anyway. The brunette knew if she didn't drink at that bar she would just raid Ezra's liquor cabinet in the apartment above the brew that she had tried so hard not to raid after she came home from the swim meet yesterday morning and so many other times before that. Emilys legs seemed to start moving before her mind could process what was happening, because next thing she knew she was sitting on the same barstool she was sitting on the night her life fell apart.


End file.
